


A Mad Cephalon's Dream

by CephalonGhost



Series: Mad Cephalon [1]
Category: Warframe
Genre: Canon-Typical Violence, Cephalon Fragment Spoilers, Chains of Harrow Spoilers, Fluff and Angst, Hurt/Comfort, Ordis is the Tenno's dad you can't deny it, Spoilers for a whole lot of things really, Suicidal Thoughts, The Jordus Precept Spoilers, The Second Dream Spoilers, The War Within Spoilers
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-08-02
Updated: 2018-02-10
Packaged: 2018-12-10 04:59:01
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 15
Words: 56,320
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11684577
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CephalonGhost/pseuds/CephalonGhost
Summary: The Beast of Bones is nothing but a Cephalon now. A Cephalon named Ordis meant to serve the tenno. However, the Tenno he is meant to care for find out about his past and decide to give him a warframe.Our little AU of LimbOrdis is now in fic formRating Changed from Teen to Mature due to Language and depictions in future chapters.





	1. Chapter 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is a passion project of mine that Leven mun has been encouraging that I will be updating every now and again to tweak with any new knowledge we get from lore on the Cephalons so that it can better fit to canon.  
> Nothing major, just a few lines at most. I won't be overhauling anything.  
> Hope you enjoy it <3

               “Operators, Ordis really does think this is something you should just leave be.” Ordis said in protest as his two Tenno Operators continued to add their haphazard ‘upgrades’ and modifications to the somatic link device.

               Of course, he could stop them at any time. He could cut power to the somatic link, deactivate the orbiter’s artificial gravity, there were multiple ways he could derail them in their task. But he was patient. He wouldn’t do any of that. He’d talk to them however long it took to get them to come to their senses. Anything to convince them to believe what he told them was true. Especially when it was for their own good.

               “You are wasting efforts on something that may not even be possible. And for your sakes, and mine, it would be better if I were to—“

               “No!” The younger of the two Tenno cut him off before he could finish, standing upright and pouting defiantly as she gazed up at the ceiling. This was Aelies, or ‘Alice’, his original and Primary Operator that he had served since the old war. A child, no more than ten, with pale white eyes and hair that clashed with her dark skin tone. A warrior when she needed to be, but a child nonetheless. One who often cared too much for her own well being.

               “No?— ** _LisSTen To ME_** —See? See!?“ Ordis nearly snapped but brought himself back under control before he could fully say something he’d regret. But, that brief outburst was just what he needed to prove his point. “Operators I know that it makes you unhappy. Especially after you went through the effort of piecing together my missing fragments after that encounter with Hunhow in Suda’s datascape. I am thankful that you came to save me, wholly and truthfully… But purging myself of them again before the worst can happen is for the best. I can’t properly serve you for a better future for all of us like this. Not while they still linger...”

               “But it isn’t fair…” Alice continued. “You’re always helping and taking care of _us_. Why won’t you let us help and take care of _you_?” She continued to glare up at the ceiling, up at HIM, incredibly determined and appearing almost as if on the verge of tears.

               Oh god, if she started crying now—

               “Hey, think of it this way,” a new voice spoke up now. One belonging to the elder of the two Tenno who sat in an almost leisurely manner, splicing together some wires. This was Operator Lilith, a girl in her mid-teens that, ironically, was not much taller than Alice despite being five years her senior. A Tenno Ordis had once referred to as ‘extra baggage’ that had been picked up on the Lua Reservoir when the Stalker and Hunhow had been out to destroy it. Though by now, he had come to care for Lilith in the same way as he did the younger Tenno. Aggravatingly so.

                “If this works, you’ll actually have a way to let out that anger you always try to suppress and ignore by coming with us when we go on missions rather than just sit on the sidelines giving air support. It’s not like you wouldn’t be familiar with the scenario either. You’d feel right at home.” Lilith spoke coolly, her eyes never once lifting up from the wires she was working on. Her prosthetic legs nimbly crossed over one another. “Plus, we could finally stop talking to the ceiling all the time like crazy people.”

                “Operators…” Ordis started again, pausing for a moment in case they chose to interrupt him again. But when they didn’t, he continued. “It makes me feel relieved that you are not **_DiSsapOIntED_** —disillusioned by who I… Once was. And that you even want me to embrace… him? Myself? Through your rather— ** _PoiNTlesS_** —Unorthodox methods. But, would this even work to begin with? A _cephalon_ transferring with a _warframe_? It’s not something deemed possible!”

               “Well, that lady possessing the tree in the Silver Grove managed to get it to work, didn’t she?” Lilith pointed out, finally looking up from her fiddling with a sly smile on her face.

               “Those were different circumstance—“

               “We just want to help you be happy, Ordy.” Alice said softly before he could continue, her expression now entirely one of sadness and hurt. “The real kind of happy, not the fake happy you are from breaking yourself just because you think it’s better for us…” She sniffled. “It’s not fair… It’s not fair to you…” She was actually starting to cry now.

               Oh no. Nononono! NO!

               “ ** _OKaY, OkAY!_** Ordis will try! Please don’t cry, Operator Alice!”

               “Really?” She sniffled again and wiped her eyes. “You promise?”

               “YES!”

               “Yay!” And just like that, she was smiling as if nothing had actually happened. Had he just been emotionally played by a super-powered ten-year-old? Probably. Did he care? No.Fake or not, that sad face was enough to make him feel as though he were being vaporized by a Fomorian.

               “But why your _Limbo_?” He decided to shift the conversation, if only ever so slightly. “Isn’t he one of your favorites, Operator Alice?” He questioned, recalling an instance not too long ago where Lilith had commented on how if she loved the frame so much she should just marry him. “Why would you give him up just to try and humor and old cephalon like me?”

               “Isn’t Limbo your favorite too?” Alice tilted her head.

               “Yeah,” Lilith was grinning even wider than she had been earlier. “Didn’t you have a crush on that other Limbo user whose theorem we found?”

               “Wha— _What_? A crush?” Ordis scoffed, taken aback by the mere suggestion. “That wasn’t a crush— ** _YoU lItTLe BRaah_** —Aha. Ha... It was just admiration. Nothing more.” Lilith was not in the slightest convinced and just stuck her tongue out at him. “Oh wow, **_veRy mAtuRe, LiLYpAd_**.”

               “Well, we still think you’ll like using him.” Alice said with a small giggle towards their exchange. “We even decorated him to match the ship’s Acethii—Assthi—As—“

               “Aesthetic?” Both Ordis and Lilith said in unison.

               “Yeah! That!”

               “Plus, Ali sucks at using him effectively anyway.” Lilith added.

               “Heeeeeey.”

               “It’s true though! I just never said anything before cause I didn’t wanna upset you.”

               “Ordis probably would have a better chance of using Limbo to his fullest potential…” Ordis mumbled in agreement with Lilith, if only because he knew he could much better grasp the mathematics behind using the frame’s abilities. “But without an energy source—“

               “We already figured that out.” Lilith interrupted. Again. Why did they almost always have to interrupt him? Children…  “Darvo helped us figure out how and got us the parts to modify his void energy intake. So he should be able to store it while plugged into the Somatic Link. We had Helminth install them last time we got him fixed up.”

               “Uuuuuuuugh…” Ordis didn’t even bother to hide his disgust. “So that’s what you were doing for so long in that domesticated— ** _FlESh MoNGRel’S_** —room while controlling your Nidus?”

               Of course that Corpus scumbag would have his hand in this, but that **_thing_**? If he had a mouth he would have been gagging. Oh how often Ordis wished he could just set the entire room it occupied ablaze just to get rid of it. But then there would be nothing aboard left that could properly mend the warframes after especially grueling missions. Killing it would only make things difficult.

               But he still  _really, **really** ,_ wanted to.

               “Okay! I think that should do it!” Lilith suddenly stood up from where she’d been sitting, letting the wires and cables fall to the floor as she dusted off her knees. “How are things on your end, Ali?” She looked towards the younger Tenno who was in the midst of climbing all over the Limbo that was seated in the somatic link device.

               “Almost got it…” Alice said while balancing herself rather precariously on the Limbo's lap. In her hand she held the end of a thick cable that protruded from his back from a deviced burrowed deeply in it. One she was trying to connect to a makeshift port just above his head.

               “Careful, Operator.” Ordis pleaded silently and let out a sigh of relief when she managed to accomplish her task without so much as a slip of her footing.

               With that, the two Tenno had finished what they had set out to do. All that was left was for Ordis to do his part and—

               “Well?” Lilith folded her arms across her chest, snapping him out of his concentration.

               “Well, _what_ , Operator?”

               “Get in the warframe, Ordis!” Alice hopped up and down in an excited manner.

               “I—“

               “Come on! You promised!”

               “Ordis can’t just do it on command!— ** _I’M nOT a DoG!_** ’" His tone caused the girl to freeze in her bouncing around the Transference chamber. “Before Ordis can even attempt this there’s still many calibrations that need to be performed on the ‘upgrades’ you added to the somatic link as well as—” He continued to list on, but at this point both girls seemed to have drowned him out. Their faces displaying disappointment and boredom to the highest degree. They really never did care for his techno babble. “It will take me some time, Operators. I am sorry.”

               “Then we’ll just wait here until you do.” Alice asserted with a huff as she sat herself down on the Limbo’s lap.

               “But, didn’t the Lotus want for you to—“

               “If Alice wants to wait, then we’re going to stay here and wait.” Lilith waved off the mission before he could even get into the details of it. “There are other Tenno that can do the job for her.”

               Well… She wasn’t wrong. It wasn’t as though there was any shortage of Tenno available since they had all awoken en masse. But, the fact that they would rather stay aboard the Orbiter for his sake than abide to the wishes of their ‘mother’? And that they were even forcing him to attempt something like this in hopes it would benefit him?

              If he didn’t know better, he’d even think he was dreaming.

               “Very well…” He sighed, pretty sure they could hear how he felt from the tone of his voice. “But it really will be awhile, Operators. Ordis does not want for you suffer from boredom just by waiting on him.”

               “We’ve dealt with worse.” Lilith assured as she sat herself down on the floor, leaning herself against the leg of the seated Limbo. “ _You’ve_ dealt with worse.”

⃝⃝⃝⃝⃝

               They waited for an hour.

               Then eventually so many hours had passed both had fallen asleep in their respectful positions. That part wasn’t unusual, however. The two had a habit of randomly falling asleep in all parts of the ship. Usually with a pile of blankets they had bought from some trader and their kavats cuddled up next to them.

               Ordis was glad they had fallen asleep. It would make the inevitable failing much less embarrassing. He had even muted his presence on the Weave, switching off his data share stream, to prevent any other cephalon discovering just what was going on. He even slowed his overall memory feed and upload to his backup files that it contained. That way should something go wrong he'd have an easy means of restoring his current self's memories.

               By now, he had finished all the necessary preparations on his end. Even dimming down the lights of the Orbiter to ensure that his Operators _stayed_ asleep for this endeavor. All that was left to do now was the hard part.

               Initiating Transference for the Operators before the incident with the queens—when he was actually needed—was easy. It was something he was entirely familiar with since they became physically present aboard the Orbiter. But performing Transference, even a minute form, for himself?

               5…

               Would it even work?

               4…

               Would it really help him as his Operators hoped?

               3…

               There was no way of knowing for certain.

               2…

               But curiosity and the need to follow through with their wishes were excellent motivators.

               1…

 _Somatic Link engaged_.

               His sensors became overloaded; nothing but white blips and static. He felt himself being pulled apart and stretched beyond his limits. And it **_hurt_**. Almost like having his brain ripped out of his skull all over again.

               But it was all for just a few milliseconds. The shock subsided just as quickly as it came.

               At first, Ordis’ prediction of failure seemed to have come true. He immediately became preoccupied with determining the state of the Somatic Link itself to ensure it hadn’t been damage. But then he took notice of a new level of awareness he had for the orbiter’s interior. He was always fully aware at all times, but this was a different type of awareness. A type that was accompanied with unusual sensations. Particularly one of a feeling of pressure, something weighing down and restraining… Movement?

               Wait a minute…

               Setting the priority of where it was coming from to the highest level; his view point of the orbiter changed. He was… Sitting in the Somatic Link device? And the pressure he had been feeling… It was from Alice sleeping on top of… Him?

               It had actually _worked_!?

               Experimentally, he tried to get the Limbo to move his head to side and found it did so without resistance. There was, of course, about a second delay from when he had initiated the movement but it was nothing major. Nothing he couldn’t adapt to and learn to work with.

               He then had the Limbo raise his arm, feeling absolutely giddy by how he could feel it as though it were his own. Wiggling the fingers and making different hand gestures brought the same satisfying result. And for a brief moment, he felt... Complete. But the feeling passed and the small Tenno child in the Limbo’s—In HIS lap suddenly shifting grabbed his immediate attention.

               Seeing the Operators from this perspective was entirely different from the all-encompassing overhead view he normally had. A view that wholly depended on sensors, security cameras, and vital readings. So in a sense, this was his first time seeing their faces ‘in the flesh’.

               Well, at the very least Alice’s. He couldn’t quite see Lilith’s from this angle since she was on the floor, clinging to his leg.

               Studying Alice closely, Ordis gently brushed his fingers against her cheek. Her skin was warm to the touch, its texture rough from the glowing scars left by the void. He ran his fingers through her hair; marveling at its softness. Having not been able to feel anything like this for so many centuries, it was more than a pleasant sensation. He began lightly trailing the scars along Alice’s face; then her eyes suddenly began to flutter open in response to his touch.

               “… Ordy?” She mumbled, still half asleep from the sounds of it, as she stared at him with white glowing eyes.

               “Hello, Operator.” Ordis spoke softly, his voice emanating from the frame he now possessed rather than from the ship itself.

               “… Angel?” Was all she murmured in comment, raising an arm to point somewhere just above his head. At first, he assumed it was nothing; just her seeing and hearing things again as she often did. And it wasn’t as though he wasn’t guilty of the same thing from time to time. But oddly enough, after looking through the ship’s sensors, there did seem to be a soft blue halo floating just above his head. One that shimmered and pulsated any time he made a sound.

               How strange.

               “Oh no, no. It’s just Ordis, Operator.” Ordis said with an amused laugh.  “Did you have a nice dream?”

               “Dreaming…” Alice shut her eyes then as she buried her face into his chest. Just barely avoiding the metal of the Porta chest piece. “Still dreaming… But S’nice dream…”

               “Are you sure about that?” Ordis asked, moving his arms to hold her in a position that would be more comfortable. Not just for her but for himself as well. It was still a strange thing to wrap his processors around; having to consider his own comfort. It would be awhile until it could be classified as normal. “Nevertheless. Maybe you should let yourself rest a bit longer?”

               “Mmmm…” Alice shifted some more and let out a yawn as she nodded. “Okay daddy…”

               “… ‘Daddy’?” If he could blink, Ordis would have done so repeatedly in surprise. Had she really just called him that? 'Daddy'? He knew that Lilith would often call him ‘dad’ in a sarcastic manner whenever she felt aggravated by his nagging. And even Alice would do the same in a more innocent manner.

               Of course, he _was_ technically a parental figure to them. And never did he once think he would be one in a previous life. But he’d never expected… Why did that single word make him feel—

               “Alice?” he wanted to confirm what he heard had been right and not his imagination, but the girl had already fallen back asleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fixed some formatting issues.


	2. Chapter 2

               Of course the first thing they did when they finally both woke up hours later was shriek in delight.

               By the stars, why did they have to _shriek_?

               Ordis could understand the enthusiasm of his Operators, but he really wished they could have expressed it at a volume that was easier on his auditory sensors. He even found himself clamping his hands over the ‘ears’ of the frame he now controlled almost instinctively. Going so far as to start leaning away to create some distance when they began hounding him with questions on the experience itself.

               “Operators— _Arrr_ — ** _OpERAtorS stOp!_** ” He practically growled at them. His voice shifting in pitch to become much lower and menacing in comparison to how it usually was. Enough to force them back while mumbling multiple apologies with hands over mouths. “Thank you.”

               “Sorry.” Alice said again, not lowering her hands; an obviously huge grin peeking out from between her fingers.

               “Yeah, I guess we are overdoing it in the cheer department.” Lilith admitted while scratching the back of her head. She was smiling as well, but was doing her best to appear more relaxed in comparison to just a few moments ago. “Can’t blame us for being happy for you though, right?”

               “No, I suppose not.” Ordis chuckled, wondering that if the Limbo had had a mouth if he would be stupidly grinning as well based on how he presently felt.

               “So can you only move and talk through Limbo? Or are you able to feel things too?” Lilith took hold of one of his hands in her own, turning it over and playing with the fingers. “Are you able to feel me doing any of this? Can you feel pain through him like we do?” She then pulled back one of the fingers as hard as she was able, eliciting an audible snapping sound.

               “ ** _Ow_** — ** _YeS!_** ” Ordis yanked the hand away, shaking off the pain as he did so.

               “Sorry!” She held up her hands defensively. “I thought you wouldn’t be able to feel it!”

               “It’s **_fINE_**. But Ordis would prefer you refrain from doing that again, Operator Lilith.” He flexed the injured finger tentatively. “ ** _EvER._** ”

               “Didn’t plan to.” She laughed nervously. “What about standing and walking, though? You’ve only moved the upper body so far.”

               “Ordis should be able.” He shrugged. “It’s just that this frame was trapped beneath the Operators until just recently. Didn’t exactly get the chance to ‘stretch my legs’, if I may use that phrase? Felt almost as though Ordis was reduced to ship _mattress_ instead of Cephalon.” He looked to Alice as he spoke, or moreso _stared_ at her. “Though you both seemed to have gotten plenty of rest, at the very least.”

               He continued to eye Alice, much to the girl’s confusion until the reason as to why suddenly struck her. Her cheeks then went flush in embarrassment upon remembering the brief conversation they’d had when he’d accidently woken her. Under his eyeless stare, the young girl let out a squeak as she completely hid her face in her hands and burrowed it into Lilith’s shoulder.

                “Whoa, Ali!?” Lilith exclaimed in concern, wondering just what it was that had gotten into the younger Tenno. “What’s wrong?”

               “I believe that Operator Alice may just be a little over excited.” Ordis said, opting to not reveal the truth of the situation. That the real reason the girl was so flustered was because she’d called him ‘daddy’ when she was half asleep.

               “Really?” Lilith blinked.

               “Yes!” Alice pulled away and furiously nodded her head.

               “You’re _that_ happy your idea worked?” Lilith lightly chuckled and placed a hand on her hip. “Geez, you’re adorable.”

               “No I’m noooot!” Alice balled her hands into fists at her side while she aggressively pouted. Though in the end, her overall stance and expression only further proved Lilith’s point. She was utterly adorable even when angry. Well… As adorable as an ugly Tenno child could get, anyway.

               “Nope, too late!” Lilith wagged a finger. “You are.”

               Alice was about to say something in retort when an aggravated grumble from Ordis caught them both by surprise.

               “ ** _NoISy LitTLe_** —Operators, I believe it’s about time you fed your kavats.” He commented, his frame slumped forward where he sat. One arm supported his head while the other pointed at the Transference Chamber’s closed entrance. Just outside it, loud mewing and scratching could faintly be heard.

               Then the door suddenly opened on his mental command

               With the door now open, two furry little kavat heads poked into the Transference chamber. Bright eyes blinking innocently and expectantly at their owners. It was the ever-familiar stare of a pet demanding to be fed. _Immediately_.

               “Ah, Minka! Phoenix!” Alice was the first to react and made a dash to the door. “We’re sorry, kitties!”

               “Pfft.” Lilith stifled a laugh, then turned to the frame that still sat within the Somatic Link. “Guess that means its dinner time for us too, huh?”

               “Dinner? **_Ha hAHa_** —Breakfast, actually.” Ordis corrected as his frame slowly stood.

               “What? Really?” Lilith stared at him, eyes wide. “We slept for _that_ long?” Ordis nodded in answer while gently tugging at the cables that connected him to the apparatus behind him. “ _Shit_.”

               “Language, Operator Lilith.” Ordis said with a bit of a warning tone. “You don’t want your ‘sister’ overhearing, do you? You know she hates such foul words. And it isn’t appropriate.”

               “Shouldn’t you be follow your own advice, first?”

               “What— ** _WHaT’s ThaT SuPPoSeD To MEaN!?_** ”

               “Nothing, nothing. Sorry _, dad_.” Lilith rolled her eyes, her hands held up like a makeshift shield again. “You gonna unplug yourself already?”

               “No, the Transference energy that I’m able to cycle presently is not nearly strong enough to allow for a full disconnect. It will take some time before I can attempt controlling him unhooked and at long range.” Ordis released the cables he had been previously pulling at and allowed them to fall back into place. “But even then it may be limited based on just how far I can stretch my consciousness. It is not as simple a process like transferring part of myself to the Liset is. There is no hub I can wirelessly connect—”

               “So wait,” Lilith interrupted and then pointed towards the ceiling. “you’re still in the ship?”

                “Yes.” Ordis nodded. “Unlike when I transferred over to Suda’s datascape, I merely set the Limbo’s connection to a higher priority level akin to the rest of the Orbiter’s functions. Just to ensure that I _do_ feel what it is he experiences for myself and from the correct perspective.”

               “And that means… What exactly?” Lilith tilted her head to the side, lightly scratching at her face. She wasn’t getting any of it.

                “The Limbo is only serving as an extension of myself.” He held up his arms to gesture to the entire space of the Orbiter, his main body. “I don’t fully inhabit him as you would. Complete and total Transference for one of my kind without major consequences is simply… Not possible for the time being.”

               “Oh.” Lilith frowned, seeming disappointed. “Ali was hoping it would be. But I guess partial Transference is still better than it not having worked at all, right?” She asked as she reached up to pat at the side of his 'face' in an almost congratulatory manner. A gesture that Ordis mimicked before cupping her face in his hands and causing her to laugh. “Now let’s just hope it actually does help you like we wanted, huh? How does the ‘Beast of Bones’ feel having an actual body again?”

               Beast of Bones…

               Right…

               That was the whole reason for this, wasn’t it?

               An attempt to have him regain part of what he had lost and finalize the reintegration of his broken shards. Pieces of his being that he was happy to forget but in this instant was now forced to remember. The him the Orokin had attempted to permanently erase in response to his slaughter of them.

               He had just wanted to _die_.

               To die and no longer be plagued by his sickness or the dream that haunted him endlessly. Swallowed up by the bones of all the innocents he had killed for **_them_**. Suffocating and pulling him deeper into the mound as punishment for his vast sins.

               He deserved it. He deserved **_THIS_**. This eternity he now suffered; forever remembering. No matter how far down into the pit he sent them, they always returned. His own fault, his own undoing for taking that first plunge into those depths.

               He could have been _happy_.

               And of course, that phantom memory just had to resurface now too, didn’t it?

               The last moments of his previous life.  

               Ballas standing over him with the red vial, smiling. Forcing him to drink that vile liquid in his dying moments as he laughs. How he had wished in that very moment he had still had the strength left in him to wring his neck in his calloused hands. It would have accomplished nothing, but it would have made it less shameful than how it’d actually been. Just being able to say he tried to fight off this fate, even if only for a moment, instead of giving in and drinking.

               He could almost feel it. The slender neck of Ballas between his hands.

               “Ordy?”

               The feel of him struggling for breath.

               “ _Ordis!_ ”

                His heart beat straining against the pressure.

               “ _Ordis, get off her!_ ”

               He was struck with something hot and burning. A smoldering pain in his side that forced him to cry out and release his grip. Void energy crackling against his frame causing him to jitter and twitch as he fought against collapsing.

               The image of Ballas faded then, and reality came crashing down upon him.

               “ ** _OpERaTOR?_** ” He stared down in horror at the gasping and wheezing form of Lilith.

               He couldn’t say anything. Couldn’t _do_ anything but watch as Alice pulled the elder girl out from under his frame.

               This is what he’d been afraid of. This is what he had wanted to _prevent_.

               This was the very reason he had wanted to _move on_ and _forget_.

               He was meant to _protect_ his Operators, and yet he’d—

               _Somatic Link Disengaged_ …

               The Limbo collapsed to the floor, empty and hallow again. He could feel himself beginning to crack open. And he wanted to laugh…

⃝

               Ordis refused to speak no matter how much they coaxed him. He couldn’t remember the exact reason why he’d chosen to turn silent towards his Operators, but he stayed silent either way. His memory of the past few hours was hazy and littered with gaps. He remembered the Transference attempt, how happy his Operators had been in response. But then… _Something_ happened, and whatever it was caused for him to feel as though he didn’t deserve to speak to them.

               “Ordyyyy!” Alice whined for the twentieth time by his count. “Come oooon. It’s okay! We know you didn’t mean it! You’d never hurt us purposely!” That’s… Odd? Why did he suddenly feel a heavy sense of guilt weighing down on him from those words? _Had_ he hurt them? If he did—“We aren’t mad at you!”

               Despite the reassurance, he still didn’t reply.

**_Why didn’t he reply?_ **

               Alice continued to persist, however. Not letting up her goal of getting him to speak with them in the slightest. Only Lilith said nothing in regards towards his silence. Instead, she opted to being silent herself as she rubbed the muscles of her neck.

               Beneath the synthetic material of her suit, Ordis could just barely make out what looked like a large bruise wrapping itself entirely around her neck via the ship’s sensors. Was… He at fault for that? Oh dear. No—

               Eventually, Lilith did speak. Suddenly announcing that they were running low on certain components and that Alice should head out and get them.

               But this was a lie.

               The component storage still had more than enough of each resource tucked away for any future tools or weaponry they needed to build. Ordis knew this for certain and would check frequently. Why would Lilith feel the need to lie just to get Alice to leave the Orbiter?

               Whatever the reason, her lie was effective. After a bit of convincing and some complaints on the younger Tenno’s end; Alice left not long after in the Liset. Both kavats followed her and her frame of choice: Banshee Prime, leaving Lilith alone in the Orbiter.

               Alone with him.

               “Hey.” She spoke up, breaking the deafening silence that filled the air. “How long are you gonna keep this up? You have Ali half scared to death that you’ve self-destructed on us that she’s gone to check your core several times already.” She clenched her teeth as she paced back and forth within the Transference chamber. Her voice strangely hoarse. “Wasn’t it enough of a scare when we thought we’d lost you to Hunhow? Don’t do this to us!”

               Silence.

               “ _Ordis!_ ” Lilith’s attention was now on the Limbo that sat within the Somatic Link Apparatus. The warframe having been placed back within it after... After… What? “Say something, you shithead!”

               “Language, Operator Lilith…” He finally spoke, low and cautiously.

               “Oh, so _that_ gets you to finally talk?” Lilith gasped in disbelief, still looking to the Limbo rather than towards the ceiling as she would have in the past. “What the _hell_?”

               “Ordis is… Sorry, Operator Lilith…” He apologized. “He isn’t… I’m not… I don’t know why I’ve been denying myself the ability to speak.”

               “You don’t—” Lilith sighed in frustration, dragging a hand down her face. “Goddamn it, Ordis. You fragmented your memories again, didn’t you?” Is that what he had done? “We talked about this! You’re not allowed to do that! We know you told Simaris you wanted to make new memories, but if you just keep _scrapping_ them when something goes wrong, what’s the point? It’s just hurting you more than the actual memories are!”

               Memories? What memories? Just what was it he made himself forget? It felt… They had to have some kind of importance, didn’t they? Were they his memories of the Old War? No… No it couldn’t have been those. The Operators had never made a big deal about those. It was something else. Memories of actions filled with hate and something ugly…

               Ugly…

 _Ugly_ …

               “You’re not gonna get better anytime soon if you keep doing this!” Lilith continued, pointing a finger accusingly at the Limbo. “The ‘Beast of Bones’ won’t just go away through you trying to bury and ignore him.”

**_Such an ugly reflection…_ **

               “I—“

               “Suppressing this shit is just gonna keep backfiring on you, no matter what you do.” Lilith interrupted just as he was beginning to notice the shards he’d recently cast aside. “It’s why we want to help you through it so much, however we’re able.” Her hands were clenched at her sides now. Every word she spoke causing his shards to slowly float back to the surface. “Because we love you like you’re our real dad, you goddamn dumbass!”

               Those last words hung in the air as Lilith continued to stand there; looking as though she were ready to physically fight the Cephalon if he so much as tried to dismiss the things she’d said. It wasn’t as though she could, however. He wasn’t occupying the frame they’d given him.

               Well, she could always just start punching at the inner walls of the Orbiter but—

               After a moment’s pause, she took in a deep breath and allowed her stance to relax.

               “We know what it’s like. It’s why Ali and I depend on one other so much. And it’s why we depend on _you_ too. Because unlike the Lotus, you’re always there for us when we need you most. Not just during missions or when something serious happens in the system.” She looked at her hands. “We lost our chance of ever having normal lives, normal _childhoods_. We were forced to act as weapons without voices for so long. Performing actions through our warframes that feel as though they were done by someone else. Feeling like you _are_ someone else and trying to come to terms to what you are.” She lowered her hands after briefly clenching them. “Wishing more than anything you could just _die_ because living the way you are now doesn’t feel worth it…"

               “… Lilith.” Ordis’ felt an aching pain begin to spread through him as he studied the girl.

               “I’ll be honest…  I almost wanted you to kill me earlier. It’s why I didn’t fight back.” She rubbed at her neck again. “But I knew that you would snap out of it before you could. I just didn’t expect Ali to come back when she did…”

               “You **_wanTed_ foR Me to kILl yOu**?” He couldn’t believe what he was hearing. The need to take some sort of action rising as concern for the girl grew to critical levels.

               “I said I ‘ _almost’_ did, okay?” Lilith asserted, her stance becoming tense again. “And don’t act so surprised when you still have the same feelings of self-destructing almost every other day!”

               “Well, yes, but… Ordis has refrained from acting on them for the sake of the Operators.”

               “Uh-huh.” Lilith rolled her eyes as she turned her back to the warframe. Making some sort of vague gesture before crossing her arms. “Then for the sake of us Operators, and your own good, get back in the Limbo, would you?”

               “Operator—“

               “Get in the fucking warframe, Ord—” She suddenly stopped with a yelp when a pair of white and black arms wrapped themselves around her; lifting her off the floor.

               “I already am.” Ordis finished his previously cut off sentence as he held the girl close to him. “No need for such violent words.”

               “Wha— _What the hell_! Put me down!” Lilith shouted, struggling against his hold and twisting around until she was facing him. “What are you _doing_!?”

               “Aren’t hugs after these types of conversations considered normal?" Ordis asked. "From what Ordis remembers, it’s quite common with parental figures and their children in most ancient cultures. You admitted that you and Operator Alice both see me, and even _love_ me as one.” He stated with emphasis, shifting how he held the young Tenno but not releasing her. “And you particularly looked like you could use a hug in this instance, Operator Lilith.” As did he, really. He just didn’t want to admit it. Hell, he probably needed it more, after… _Everything_.

               When was the last time he had ever hugged someone, anyhow? Even in his previous form. He couldn’t remember. He probably hadn’t been one that held that much regard for them anyhow. But right now?

               “If you wanna do this huggy father-daughter shit, do it with Ali when she gets back, not _me_!” Lilith continued to squirm, her face red from embarrassment. However, a split second later, she let out a huff and allowed for her arms to fall around his neck. Her head resting against his chest, still rather flushed with color. “I hate you…”

               “Ordis ‘hates’ you too, Operator.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> -Vay Hek Voice-  
> DID YOU THINK THIS WOULD ALL BE THAT EASY?!  
> -clears throat-  
> This one was a real doozy to write.  
> But I'm having fun with Ordis' perspective. A lot more than I thought I would have.


	3. Chapter 3

               “What about this?”

               “No.”

               “This?”

               “No, Operator.”

               “Thiiiiis?” Alice pointed to yet another weapon that was on the handheld screen; looking back at the Cephalon with wide, hopeful, eyes.

               “… No.” Ordis sighed as he propped his head up, using part of the Somatic Link apparatus’s as an arm rest.

               “Aw.” The girl in his lap pouted, severely disappointed.

               It had been a few days since this had all started. Since their little experiment in having Ordis attempt transference.

               A longer cable—which the girls had stolen from some corpus ship—now allowed him full movement about Orbiter. And interacting with them exclusively through the Limbo had fallen into habit rather quickly as well. Everything about this scenario had become incredibly familiar; almost normal. Almost as though this was how things were meant to have always been.

               It wasn’t, of course. When the Orokin had given him his sentence, this was far from what was intended. Nothing had really gone as they had intended, had it? So why should he be surprised or show any care?

               “Operator, Ordis understands you and Operator Lilith wish for him to come along with you on missions. And Ordis wants nothing more than that as well. But I need more time to adjust.” Ordis explained, patting Alice on the head and ruffling her hair.” I haven’t even had the chance to test out Limbo’s abilities yet, only mentally calibrate and simulate their execution based on data gathered from watching you utilize him.”

               But those were not the only reason why he wanted to take his time with this. The events from a few days ago were still rather fresh in all their minds. The fear of an episode like that happening again left him overly anxious. The need to use increased caution overtook his internal desire of fighting alongside them in ‘the flesh’. That dream would have to be pushed aside for now.

               Of course, he didn’t want them to know this to prevent their own worries from growing worse. And in attempt to keep things that way…

               “Applying them in the field is an entirely different _Beast of Bones_.” He forced a cheery tone. “I have to take it one _rift-walk_ at a time or else it’ll just be _Cataclysm_ ic.”

               Alice tilted her head curiously at him with an innocent and confused look; not understanding his witticisms in the slightest. Or, at least, his brilliant puns didn't amuse her...

               Oh who was he kidding, they were _awful_.

               “Just… Don’t push Ordis so much so soon.” He sighed.

               “We’re not trying to, Ordy. But we still want to know which weapons interest you ahead of time.” Alice pouted. “That way we can let Darvo know next time we meet him in one of the relays.”

               “And _why_ does— ** _ThAT SWinDLINg aSsho_** —ha, haha.” Ordis emulated the sound one would make if they were clearing their throat when he saw Alice’s expression. “ _Why_ does Darvo need to know?”

               “We promised we’d buy some weapons off him if he helped us get what we needed to modify Limbo.” She pursed her lips and turned her eyes back to the handheld device, scrolling through the weapon options available. Possibly to avoid having to see Ordis facepalming in response to her answer.

               “Operator, you really shouldn’t make such deals with a _Corpus_.” Ordis advised.

               “Darvo’s good on his deals, though! You know he is!” Alice exclaimed in both Darvo’s and her own defense. “He wouldn’t rip us off like you’re probably thinking of saying. Besides, he was the one who helped us find someone trustworthy to renovate the Orbiter, remember?”

               _Right_ … That had been a thing.

               It had been the most embarrassing and awkward twenty-four hours he and his Operators had to endure after the Stalker and Hunhow had been successfully banished from the ship. And once the Lotus had gone and Ordis had begun ship repairs, he had been faced with a question he couldn’t answer.

               ‘Where’s the bathroom?’

               It was _humiliating_.

               The Orbiter had never been intended to house the Operators _themselves_ as a place of living as it did now. It was built with them remaining in cryostasis in mind with only maybe a few pets— _and that horrid infested creature_ —too. The Somatic Link apparatus was there only for dire situations where they _were_ aboard. That day had come as predicted, and with the Tenno essentially being forced to live aboard the Orbiter for their own good it only made obvious the facilities it was lacking.

               Seeing their discomfort had made him think it a flaw in his structure _worse_ than Helminth during that timeframe. But the infested creature made its way back to the top of the list once the renovations were complete. He had _loathed_ having had to take the Orbiter out from its hiding place within the void. And completely _detested_ having so many Corpus hands poking and prodding and _touching_ and **_breaking_** almost everything just to make the space for such things. It was far too similar to when the Grineer had done the same, albeit without the intent of putting him back together. But it was a necessary discomfort he had to endure for their needs.

               However, when one of them had suggested to his Operators they get him _replaced_ he immediately had them **_purged_** …

               Aaannd then was told by his Operators to apologize five seconds later.

               “Yes, I suppose he did…” Ordis reluctantly admitted with a grumble. Just because Darvo _had_ helped them on more than one occasion doesn’t mean he still couldn’t dislike him. Or send him some crude inbox messages every now and again in response to his sale ‘news letters’ he occasionally sent out.

               Seriously, those things just clogged up the inbox. Sitting there, unread and ignored…

               And speaking of _ignoring_ : he wondered if other Cephalon believed he was ignoring _them_ for having his presence muted on the Weave for so long. Especially Suda considering Alice served her Syndicate religiously and how often she checked in. Simaris on the other hand—

               Wait. _Simaris!_

               “Operator Alice, I have an idea!” He announced, getting Alice to turn to him. “Cephalon Simaris’ Simulacrum.”

               “The Simulacrum?” It took her a moment to understand what he was trying to suggest before her face lit up. “Oh! You want to test out the mimeograph version of weapons to help you pick? That’s a good idea!”

               “Well, that too I suppose…” He murmured. “But Ordis was more-so thinking that it might be a good controlled environment to practice using the Limbo.”

               “Oh.” Alice nodded.  “I’m sure Simaris wouldn’t mind either way!”

               No, that was wrong.

               Simaris definitely _would_ mind once he showed up as he was now, that self-righteous pri—

              Ordis didn’t dare try to imagine what his reaction would be or the accusations he would make out. He was just going to have to deal with it eventually, anyhow. He couldn’t have his presence to the other Cephalons muted forever. Getting it over with as soon as possible was for the best. Even if the thought of it made him sick to his nonexistent stomach.

               “Can you pick _something_ from this catalogue first at least?” Alice begged once more, giving him a big-eyed stare. “ _Pleeaase_?”

               There she went with that face again. Forcing the Cephalon to give in with a sigh as he picked up the device. However, he didn’t so much as get to scroll through the options for more than a couple of seconds before a high pitch shriek sounded.

               The shriek was no doubt Lilith from somewhere in the main Orbiter compartment. And while normally he would have switched his viewpoint to that of the Orbiter’s interior itself to check what was going on. He instead found himself running out of the Transference Chamber with Alice in tow—or more accurately under the crook of his arm—to see what had happened.

               Ship sensors hadn’t detected any sort of intrusions. Void energy levels seemed particularly normal along with their being no breaches to the hull. So just what—

               “ _Look at it!_ ” Suddenly Lilith before them, kavats followed her expressing confused meows, and shoving a— a _something_ towards him in demand he see it, _immediately_. “It’s so _cute!_ ”

               It was far from **_cute_**.

               The thing Lilith held in her hand was some type of infested kubrow abomination. Most likely having hatched from the egg they had found and started incubating despite him saying they had enough pets as is. But of course, they didn’t listen. There was just something about kubrows he couldn’t stand in comparison to kavats. Perhaps it was the cleanliness difference between the two animals, and the fact he often spotted the kavats nibbling on the bits of Helminth that poked through the door. But an _INFESTED_ kubrow? How did that even happen!? He had been keeping careful monitor of its hatching process!

               He wanted to launch it out the airlock before she had a moment to say another word. But of course, before he could voice his opinion—

               “Puppy!” Alice squealed, freeing herself of Ordis’ hold and reaching up to pet the little _monster_ as though it was the most endearing thing in existence. “Puppy! Pup!” The tiny _vermin_ started licking at her face, causing her to giggle.

               “What you wanna name her?” Lilith asked, not seeming to notice how tense Ordis was. “I think it’s a _her,_ anyway.”

               “Oh, I know, I know! What about—“

               “No!” Ordis shouted, cringing away from them and that _thing_. “NO!” He took a step back. “ ** _NoOo—”_** And ended up tripping over his own cabling. The back of his head painfully clanging against the floor as he fell.

               “You okay, Ordy?” Alice was the first to ask after they circled and leaned to look down at his frame.

               “Yeah,” Lilith then began to add on, but with less concern. “The hell was _that_ reaction for?”

               “ _We are_ **_NoT KEEpinG ThaT!_** ” Without so much as sitting up he pointed towards the infested _beast_ in her arms.

               “Ugh!” Lilith gawked, seemingly offended, and held the _thing_ —which seemed to be sadly whining—closer while turning away from him. “Rude!”

               “Aw, but _why?_ ” Alice was already starting to give one of her signature pouts as he got up. She was already even beginning to add that little lip quiver like she always did. But it wasn’t going to work on Ordis this time. The disgust and hatred towards the infested mutt outweighed the ache her expressions could cause him.

               “ _Why!?_ ” He wished the Limbo had a proper face then if only to properly express his anger. “ ** _IT’s aN infested AbomINaTIon!_** ” He again pointed towards it and Lilith retorted by sticking her tongue out at him.

               “ _You’re_ an abomination!” Lilith then shouted, making it his turn to sound in offense.

               Was it even possible hate someone you were supposed to love as much as he did then?

               “That… _Thing_ shouldn’t even exist, Operator Lilith. The egg was _clearly_ tampered with by some third party.” Ordis argued, a bit more calmly now after making the frame inhale sharply. He wanted to stay reasonable. Wanted to stay _himself_. Afraid that if he should snap anymore while controlling the Limbo a repeat of last time would occur. He was allowing for too many slip ups to go unchecked as is. “As far as my data records go: kubrow eggs do _not_ hatch _infested_.”

               “So?” Lilith didn’t seem to care. At all.

               “ _So_! _?_ ” He pointed behind him towards the door covered in growths, hoping that was more than enough to get his point across. “Infestation levels are already at overcapacity on the Orbiter. Not to mention this egg may have been laid out as a trap by the Grineer containing a stand of infestation meant to corrupt your war—”

               “It was me.” Alice speaking up cut Ordis off mid tangent, causing for both him and Lilith to turn to the younger Tenno with immediate attention. “I tampered with the egg.” She spoke plainly, her face one of indifference making it hard for the Cephalon to read what was going on inside her head.

               “This was _your_ doing, Operator Alice?” He asked just to make certain and received a nod in reply. “ _Why_? **_How_**?”

               “There was a weird cyst thing growing on Limbo after Helminth modified him.” She explained simply. “We drained it by stabbing it with one of the daggers. But when I went to throw out the goo that came out of it yesterday because I forgot to before I... Put it in the incubator instead.”

               But _how_ could she have done that with him keeping eye over everything on the—

               It was operating the Limbo that caused for him to miss it, wasn’t it?

               Fixated on the frame’s perspective essentially turned him blind to the rest of the Orbiter’s visual sensors. Sure, he still monitored it all and could even pinpoint exactly when Alice had done the deed via data-logs without them—But that was beside the point. He needed to remember his purpose and keep a better ‘eye’ on things.

               “That still doesn’t explain _why_ you did it.” Lilith commented, pulling Ordis from his thoughts. “I mean, not like I’m complaining.”

               “Operator…?” His voice sounded almost pained, as if Alice had hurt him. But of course, portraying hurt was the only other alternative he had compared to giving into anger.

               She only shrugged, and the sound of Ordis facepalming echoed throughout the Orbiter.

⃝

               In the end, it was decided that Fluffles—the little _Helminth charger_ —was going to be staying. Much to Ordis’ displeasure.

               There wasn’t much he could do, really, once his Operators made a decision. That’s how it always was. Sure, he may be able to convince them otherwise every now and again during missions or other times his voiced concern caused them to rethink things. But usually once their minds were made up, their minds were made up. Nothing he could do about it unless he let himself be consumed by—

               Presently, Ordis was more concerned with something else. A certain little pink _fleshy **bump**_ that was beginning to make itself noticeable on his Limbo’s neck. He had only noticed it after both girls had left for a mission and he recalled what Alice said. That one had been drained and cut from his neck.

               It had taken a bit of scrutiny before he was able to spy it in the mirror of the lavatory. Ship sensors and the like being practically useless in picking it up considering the Limbo itself was made from technocyte. But now that he could see that there _was_ something still there, he wasn’t about to leave it be.

               One of the daggers that his Operators had crafted some time ago sat on the edge of the sink. Its sharpened blade catching and reflecting the overhead light as he lifted it up. The priority levels of the pain receptors were lowered for what was to come next. A deep cut would probably be necessary, considering how ineffective the removal of the cyst had been last time. A large portion of the neck that would grow back in time like any other injury the frame could receive. But before he could press the blade into the flesh, he stopped…

               He stared at his reflection.

               Something about this situation just seeming far too… Familiar.

               And then he saw it…

               The moment of weakness…

               The reflection of a battered and heavily scarred face gazed out at him. Brows furrowed and teeth painfully clenched as a singular eye filled with hate stared itself down.

               Hands grasped at, not a knife, but the bone plugs that protruded from the back of his neck.

               Just a twist and a tug…

               A twist and a tug and it would all be _over_.

               The _dream_ would be over.

               It would all end.

               But no! _No_!

               He couldn’t. He _wouldn’t_!

               To pull the bone plugs now would just commit himself to a shameful death he wanted to avoid. His plan would be all for not. All the suffering, all the brutality, all the innocents he killed whose ghosts haunted him endlessly; would be for—

               The image shattered. The mirror splintered by the Limbo’s fist, leaving nothing but the fragmented reflection of the frame behind.

               Ordis could just barely make out the sound of labored breathing, the Limbo’s, his own, as he backed away from the cracked mirror. His back pressed against the lavatory wall before his knees eventually gave out, leaving him huddled on the floor with head in his hands as he trembled. It took every bit of willpower he had to resist fragmentation.

               He couldn’t remember how long he sat there. Unable to severe his connection to the frame and phantom memory still fresh in his mind—Why couldn’t he severe it as he did last time? Why couldn’t he severe it? _Why couldn’t he sever it_?—He couldn’t even remember just when it was his Operators had returned, despite sensing the Liset docking. Only that he eventually found himself staring up at their concerned faces as he still painfully clenched the dagger in his hand.

               They managed to pry it out from his death grip, eventually; tossing it to the other side of the room where he couldn’t reach. Nothing was said; there wasn’t really anything that _could_ be said, after all. But they hugged him tightly as the frame’s breathing became steadier and steadier. Refusing to let go even after what felt like hours had passed.

               No. Not hours… Just a few minutes. But it felt like an eternity.

               “Ordis… Ordis is alright.” He eventually said to alleviate their worry. But they easily saw through the lie.

               “Don’t say that when you clearly aren’t.” Lilith frowned. “What did I say about suppressing—“

               “I wasn’t.” He cut her off before she could say anything else. “I wasn’t suppressing. I was…”

               “Having a panic attack.” Lilith’s look of anger was immediately replaced with one of understanding and sorrow.

               “I… Yes… Ordis supposes that is what happened.” He let it sink in for a moment, comparing what he’d just been through to what he witnessed the girls suffering through during their first weeks awake. “Experiencing the… Physical symptoms that usually come with onset panic though the Limbo due to my influence on him must’ve been too much for me to handle since I’m… Still adjusting.”

               “But you’re alright now, right?" Alice questioned cautiously, placing her hand over one of his and gently squeezing it. The desire to help plainly written across her face.

               He let out an incredibly forced laugh at that. Switching into his mock cheerful tone.

               “Don’t worry, Ordis is perfectly fine now— ** _No IM nOT_**.” He shook his head and burrowing his face into his hands.

                No. He wasn’t going to fake his way out of it this time.

               They were right. _Lilith_ was right. All this was doing was hurting him the more he tried to pretend rather than trying to cope. If he kept going down this road he may just actually go mad like many of the Cephalon Teshin kept and used for his Conclave games.

               Sure, those Cephalon were supposedly working perfectly fine for their purposes. But their personalities and sense of self were almost entirely gone or broken. Even if it didn’t seem like it, they were. They were broken shadows, trapped within nonsensical dreams of nothingness. And he was getting closer and closer to reaching the same state each time he fragmented himself and refused to restore his memories.

               “Ordis isn’t fine…” He finally admitted through a slow exhale. “Ordis is _far_ from _fine_. But I will be… Eventually…”

               “Do you want to talk about it?” Alice now held her hands clasped together over his, as if to make the fact that they would be there for him whether he wanted it or not as clear as possible. “Talking can help!”

               “Usually.” Lilith added. “Only if you want to.”

               “I don’t. Not right now.” Ordis moved to stand, gently pushing at the two of them to make space. “Would it be too much for Ordis to ask that we not dwell on this and do something else the rest of the evening?” He clasped his hands together while looking down at them both, trying to regain whatever composure he was able. “Wasn’t there some sort of Corpus movie-vid you wanted to watch that one of you found in the data-streams the other day? I could easily pull it up for us to view over dinner… Ooor you could tell me about the mission the Lotus sent you on. Unless there is another you need my help in preparing for instead. Ordis doesn’t care either way.”

               “Uhm…” Alice held her fingers to her lips in thought, looking to Lilith to ultimately make the decision.

               “Uh, yeah, yeah!” Lilith nodded when she realized they were waiting on her. “The vid idea sounds like a good one! Maybe we can watch a few others too and make it a marathon night? That sounds like fun, right?”

               “It does indeed, Operator Lilith.” Ordis chuckled, feeling nothing but relief. “Ordis will see what he can find.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I promise, no more angst for awhile after this. Not much anyway.  
> Things will be moving along from here!  
> That confrontation with Simaris in my original shitpost is going to be happening.  
> Chapter 4 is already in the works and mostly done but I'm stuck at the moment.


	4. Chapter 4

              Things were just going to keep getting worse until they got better.

              That’s what Ordis had resigned himself into believing. Or at the very least, he tried to believe that now that he had given in and committed to his own self-recovery. Just a means to prepare himself for another episode or breakdown or anything happening really.

               A week had gone by without anything of the sort, however. And for a moment, it looked as though he was in the clear. A sign that things were perhaps actually getting better as hoped. No particularly violent outbursts. No horrible phantom memories. No incidents—

              Okay no. No, there was  _one_  incident.

              His Limbo had to be physically forced into Helminth’s Infirmary by his Operators despite his physical resistance and protest. He hadn’t wanted the creature touching his frame, his  _body_ , any more than it already had. But in order to remove the cyst from his neck, he was made to interact with the monstrosity.  _Begrudgingly_.

              He rubbed at the area of his neck where the bump had formerly been, shivering at the memory of Helminth’s claws touching his head and stabbing at him. He was glad the cyst was gone, there was no doubt about that. But he still didn’t trust the infested hivemind as far as he could throw it. Even if the charger that Alice had helped it, well,  _birth_ , was rather fond of his frame and followed him about the ship as though  _he_  were her master and not the girls.

              She, Fluffles, was growing on him despite his initial reaction. Both figuratively and somewhat literally. But he wasn’t about to admit that to anyone anytime soon. His Operators would just see it as another means to tease him. Especially Lilith. And she did that enough as is.

              “Ordis, how long are you just gonna stand there?”

              A voice snapped him back to the present and pulled his attention the brown and mint-green colored Titania that hovered in front of him.

              “Sorry, Operator Lilith. Ordis was just… Thinking.” He apologized and recalled just where it was they were.

              Larunda Relay. One of the few Tenno Relay’s remaining after Councilor Vay Hek’s Fomorian assault.

              Its docking bay was mostly quiet, the sound of ship engines and the hushed conversations of other relay goers being all that disturbed it. Their own Liset was just behind them—as they had to awkwardly take turns exiting the small vessel that was meant for one—but was now taking off to the overhead hanger so others could disembark.

              It was the first time Ordis had taken the Limbo off the Orbiter. There had been a lot of hiccups; a few more of his own adjustments made to the frame for an easier wireless connection. The main cable that once connected him to the Somatic link hung just past the frame's waist; looking like just another strange syandana some Tenno would dress theirs with. At a glance, they wouldn’t suspect him of being nothing but another Tenno, let alone a Cephalon. Nor would they think that just a couple days prior, he was having trouble just getting a basic transference connection to work without a physical link.

              Based on his calculations, he shouldn’t have to worry about it suddenly disengaging. But there was always a chance that—

               “Well, you can have time to think later.” Lilith spoke again through the Titania, hands on her hips. Clearly starting to get impatient with how he was delaying them by internally fussing on his calibrations. Even if he had never outright said that that’s what he had been thinking about.  “I have to talk with my Syndicate leaders."

              “Lilypad, we’re here because of Ordy, remember?” The Banshee Prime that stood off to Ordis’ side, clutching his arm, spoke in Alice’s soft voice. “That can wait till after we’ve taken him to see Simaris.”

              “Ah, right. Cephalon Tsunmaris.” Lilith said in such with such deadpan delivery that it nearly caused Ordis to burst out laughing.

              “Tsum-mary?” Alice attempted to echo.

              “’ _Tsunmaris’_ , Operator Alice. It’s meant to be a pun.” Ordis explained while still attempting to hold back his laughter. He could feel it tickling the back of what would be his frame’s throat. Even holding a handover where his mouth would be, if the frame had one, did nothing to stop it. For some reason, he just found it so… Funny?

              “Does he even know we're coming?” Lilith asked, and it was more than enough to put an end to whatever laughing fit that had been bubbling up.

              “Uhm…” Alice held a hand to her frame’s face. Her silence, as well as Ordis’, serving as a definite ‘No’.

              “Seriously?” Lilith threw up her Titania’s arms. “Aren’t you guys all connected?” She was looking towards Ordis now, causing him to jump slightly.

              “Well, yes, but I have been keeping quiet on the Weave as of late.” He explained, able to feel and perfectly picture Lilith’s annoyed stare even when she was looking at him through her warframe.

              “Soooo, he doesn’t know anything about this then?”

              “Nor Cephalon Suda.”

              Lilith was silent for a moment as she allowed this information to sink in.

              “Well… Their reactions are sure to be something.” She then said with a shake of her head.

              “Positive, hopefully.” Ordis chuckled nervously as they began taking the first steps to the inner parts of the relay.

              Compared to the docking bay, the rest of the relay was rather empty. Very few people other than the human members of various syndicates and those who worked on the relay itself. Each step they made as a group echoing rhythmically through the spacious main corridor. Ordis found himself absorbed with cataloguing in the relay’s surroundings to his memory. Viewing them through a new set of ‘eyes’ brought a drastically different perspective. One unlike those he used to receive of the relays through data-scans.

              It was one thing to know a layout from diagrams. It was another to actually experience what it was like to be inside it.

              There was also a somewhat peaceful and soothing quality to the space. In its own grand yet simplistic way. Nothing like the now desolate Orokin temples. Though Ordis reminded himself that during times where that void trader, Baro Ki’teer, was present it was anything but. At least, if anything Lilith had to say about how bustling the relays could get with him around was accurate.

              Before long, they had traveled up the lift and stood just outside the door to Simaris’ Sanctuary. But they went no further. They were waiting on him to take the first step forward. When he finally did, the door immediately opened.

              And he was instantaneously greeted by the hard-light construct of Simaris suddenly invading his space.

              “HUNTERS ZH AND AELIES, I SEE YOU HAVE BROUGHT A  _NEW_  TENNO WITH YOU.”  Simaris’s usual loud and commanding voice echoed throughout the Sanctuary’s walls through his avatar. Nothing new, nothing Ordis wasn’t used to from direct communication with the other Cephalon. But for some reason he found himself tensing and cringing in response from the auditory vibrations now that he could actually feel them. “DO THEY ALSO HUNGRY FOR THE KNOWLEDGE OF THE SANCTUARY?”

              “Hello Simaris!” Alice greeted and gave a bit of a mock curtsy with her frame. Lilith, meanwhile, only gave a somewhat passive wave. “And yes, I guess you can say that. He’s more interested in your Simulacrum for today, though.”

              “UNFORTUNATE.” Simaris’s normally monotone voice expressed disappointment, his projection shifting slightly to now pay full attention to Alice instead.

              “But my sister and I will gladly help out with synthesizing any targets that you have currently!” The girl quickly added and steepled her frame’s fingers in a rather dainty fashion. Wholly unbothered by the closeness of Simaris’s construct or how it loomed over her. “Anything catch your interest today?”

              “ALWAYS EAGER, HUNTER AELIES,” This seemed to please the cephalon. “TRUELLY YOU ARE ONE MOST DEDICATED TO THE SANCTUARY.” He went on to speak about his current obsession, both Lilith and Ordis seeming to have been completely forgotten by him in that instant.

              He…

              Did he really not notice?

_Really?_

              Ordis had been certain the second he stepped into the room, the greater Cephalon would have detected his trace patterns. And yet he just—

              Was it because he wasn’t,  _technically_ , really there? Just linked through the implants he had added to boost his Transference signal with the warframe. His signature would be ratehr faint, now that he thought about it. Or was it because the energy produced by both Alice and Lilith helped in masking his—

              “CEPHALON ORDIS.” Simaris suddenly saying his name caused his frame to jump.

              Well, there went that theory…

              “I THOUGHT I DEDECTED AN ANTIQUE SERIES-II CEPHALON WITHIN THE RELAY. AT FIRST I THOUGHT MY SENSORS WERE DECIEVING ME, SEEING HOW FEW THERE ARE LEFT. BUT NOW I SEE IT IS JUST  _YOU_.” Simaris studied his frame, the light of his gaze seeming more intense than it had ever previously been as his construct moved closer and closer until he hovered only mere inches away. “IDIOT CEPHALON.” His attention then quickly snapped back to Alice and Lilith. “HUNTERS, WHAT HAS HE DONE? WHAT HAVE  _YOU_  DONE?”

              “We got Transference to work for Ordis and gave him a warframe!” The smile in Alice’s voice was easy to pick up. And yet, she seemed completely oblivious to the obvious traces of anger in Simaris’.

              “I think he can see that, Operator Alice…” Ordis commented warily. “Simaris, allow for me to—“

              “NO.” Simaris shut him down immediately. “I WANT THEIR REASONS. NOT THE PITIFUL EXPLANATIONS OF A NULL CEPHALON IN DECLINE AND NEED OF A RESET.”

              Decline? Reset?

              “The hell do you mean by ‘decline’?” Lilith voiced his question for him, only to be silenced as well by the Cephalon’s deafeningly loud voice.

              “HUNTER AELIES,” Simaris’s projection moved closer to the younger Tenno’s Banshee, ignoring Lilith entirely. “PLEASE ENLIGHTEN ME AS TO WHAT YOU HAVE DONE TO YOUR SHIP’S CEPHALON?”

              “A-ah, well.” Alice was nervous now, lightly bumping the tips of her fingers together and turning her head away. “After what happened with Suda and Hunhow a few weeks ago when we pieced back the damaged pieces of him and replaced what we couldn't with his backup data we learned of who he used to be and thought… That if we gave him a warframe, it might help him better come to terms with himself rather than just—“

              “YOU’VE RUINED A PERFECTLY GOOD SERIES-II CEPHALON IS WHAT YOU DID!” Simaris cut her off before she could finish. Having none of it. “LOOK AT HIM!” He directed towards Ordis who had been attempting to leave the Sanctuary, only for the door to slam shut in his face. “YOU HAVE FURTHERED HIS DECLINE INTO DEGRADATION! YOU’VE STRIPPED HIM OF THE QUALITIES THAT MADE HIM A CAPABLE CEPHALON! YOU HAVE _RUINED_ HIM!”

              “Simaris, they didn’t—“

              “Like hell we did, you fucking oversized scanner tool!” Lilith snapped, flying up to Simaris’s construct with her Titania. “We’re helping  _restore_  him! Helping him get back pieces of himself he had stolen from him!” She jabbed a finger at the glowing form of the Cephalon. If things continued like this, she’d most likely start punching at him too. Not like it would do anything. But Lilith’s behavior was rather predictable. “What have you done other than let him nearly get himself killed  _twice_  now?!”

              “Operator Lilith, please—“

              “YOU SEEM TO HAVE FORGOTTEN THE TIME HE WAS NEARLY CONSUMED BY THE CHROMA ENTITY BEFORE I PROVIDED HIS SOMATICS SHIELDING.” Simaris reminded. “AND NOT ONLY THAT, I OFFERED HIM A PLACE IN MY SANCTUARY AS STEWARD WHERE I WOULD HAVE RESTORED HIS MEMORIES UTLIZING THE ORIGINAL DATA COPIES EACH CEPHALON HAS STORED IN BOTH MINE AND SUDA'S ARCHIVES. I CAN SEE NOW IT WOULD HAVE BEEN BETTER FOR ME TO HAVE BEEN MORE FORCEFUL WITH MY PROPOSITION. IT WOULD HAVE LEFT HIM BETTER OFF THAN LEAVING HIM IN _YOUR_ POSESSION.” His hard-light construct flared almost as if in pure rage now. “WITH WHAT YOU CONSIDER ‘RESTORATION’ BEING AN ENFORCED PARITY DRIFT AND CORRUPTING HIS PROCESSING CAPABILITIES AND ENCOURAGING A LACK OF DATA BACKING, YOU MAY AS WELL BE THE ONES ‘KILLING’ HIM.”

              “ _What did you say?!_ ” Lilith was furious now. “What did you say you giant orange tsundere piece of—”

              “Will you  _both just **SHUT Up!?**_ ” The volume of Ordis’ own voice caught him off guard as he shouted at two, ushering a sudden silence within the Sanctuary’s walls as all ‘eyes’ were on him. His hands were tightly clenched at his sides, with no sign of them unfurling anytime soon.

              He thought of apologizing. Thought of taking on a demure manner of speaking as he always would after one of his cut short outbursts. After all, he had an appearance to keep up. Had to remain the ever loving, ‘family’ friendly, dog that was always loyal and soft-spoken. But that was before he had decided to put effort into trying to embrace this other part of him for his own well-being as his Operators wanted. And quite frankly…

              It had a lot of anger to let out.

              “ _Simaris…_ ” His voice came out almost like a snarl. “ _You are a sanctimonious, egotistical, self-centered, **fUCKing**  piece of bit-rot!”_

              Simaris’ construct seemed to flicker briefly, almost as if he were taken aback. But just as quickly…

              “DO YOU SEE NOW, HUNTERS? THIS IS WHAT I WAS REFERRING TO.” He said while turning back to Lilith. “HE HAS FORGOTTEN HIS FUNCTION AND IS BEHAVING ENTIRELY UNLIKE—“

              “ _Don’t go deciding what Ordis is and isn’t like, Simaris!_ ” Ordis interjected before he could finish his statement. Trying to recall just why it was he had  _ever_  managed to respect the other Cephalon before when he was just so— “ _I perform my functions just as intended without any need for precepts to guide me. I care for my Operators at the sake of my own life just as I am supposed to.”_ He held a hand over his chest for emphasis. “ _And then there’s **you**. All you do is pervert yours with destruction and with no consideration of the well-being of those helping you!_ ”

              “THE MISSION OF THE SANCTUARY—“

              “ _Is to preserve! Which death and destruction have **no**  part of; you corrupted synthesis necrophile!_” Ordis continued, not letting Simaris so much as try and make his case the same way he had with him. And he had to admit… Letting out these centuries worth of anger out of the other Cephalon—even if he really didn’t deserve the whole brunt of it—was almost therapeutic. It felt…

**_Good_**.

               “CEPHALON ORDIS.” Simaris started again, a tinge of warning seeming to hang off his words.

               “ _That’s just it!_ ” Nothing could stop him now. Not even whatever threat Simaris had been thinking to make towards him. Be it banishment from his sanctuary or severing him from the Weave, he didn’t care. “ _I'm not like **you**! I never  **asked**  to be a Cephalon!_”

               Silence.

               Whatever Simaris had planned to say was left unspoken. Almost as though he was taking a pause to repeatedly process what he’d just heard.

               And not just him, both Alice and Lilith as well. Only they were silent for an entirely different reason. Lilith seemed almost… Impressed? Pleased by the fact he had allowed himself this unrestricted outburst? But Alice…

               He couldn’t read her. Her mind was blank. She was ‘gone’ in a similar fashion to how she would be on the battle field where an entirely other personality would take over. Her way of avoiding unpleasant situations she’d rather not be a part of. Something that both he and Lilith had been trying to help her with.

               “ORDIS.” Simaris speaking interrupted any thoughts he had about pulling the girl out from the state she was now in. The sheer volume of which his name was spoken causing the walls to vibrate.

              Ordis felt regret immediately wash over him. Whatever emotional high he’d gotten from verbally assaulting the other Cephalon hadn’t lasted long, it seemed. And now he expected there was going to be consequences to his actions. And how could there not be any?

“I WILL NOT PRETEND THAT I UNDERSTAND YOUR DECISIONS TO TURN YOURSELF NULL. TO EMBRACE YOUR HUMANITY WHICH YOU SHOULD HAVE CAST ASIDE LONG AGO ONCE YOU BECAME CEPHALON AND REACHED A HIGHER STATE OF BEING. HOWEVER, I WILL NOT STOP YOU IF THIS TRUELLY IS WHAT YOU WANT TO DO WITH YOURSELF.” He sounded… Sincere?

              Odd… He’d certainly changed his tune rather quickly. Much too quickly in fact… It made Ordis almost suspicious.

              “BUT I WILL SAY ONE LAST TIME,” Simaris continued. “WHAT YOU ARE DOING IS AN UTTER SHAME AND MAY RESULT IN THE LOSS OF MORE DATA THAN YOU CAN PRESENTLY CALCULATE. AS WELL AS POSSIBLY POSE A DANGER TO THE WEAVE SHOULD YOU LOSE CONTROL OF YOUR BEING. THEREFORE, YOU WILL BE UNDER CONSTANT MONITORING BY BOTH SUDA AND MYSELF.”

              “Uuuuh… Sorry, Simaris,” Ordis slapped the side of his frame’s head as though he were attempting to knock water out from his ‘ears’. All while trying to ignore the fake coughing Lilith was producing just to mutter the word ‘tsundere’ under her breath. “Ordis seems to have misheard you. Did you just say—”

              “YES.”

              “Oh…” Oh dear. “Then… Ordis takes it you’ve—“

              “YES. SHE HAS BEEN INFORMED AND WISHES TO SPEAK TO YOU PERSONALLY ONCE YOU HAVE FINISHED YOUR BUISNESS HERE. AS YOU ARE NOW. WITHIN YOUR TENNOS’ WARFRAME.”

               “Oh… Well…”  _Great_.

               “SHE WANTS YOU TO SHARE WITH HER WHATEVER DATA YOU HAVE PRESENTLY ON YOUR NEW… OUTLOOK.” Simaris seemed unsure of what the correct word to use for the situation was. “SHE IS INTRIGUED; THOUGH THAT IS NEEDLESS TO SAY.”

               Well… That wasn’t quite as worrisome then. Suda finding interest in something usually meant she saw value in the information she could gain from it. But… Just what kind of useful information could she gather from him? Her purpose was to collect data on things with historical attatchments. Just what was she expecting out of him?

               “Does that mean he can use your Simulacrum, now?”  Alice, her voice having returned to her, spoke in a rather dull tone. Not fully back to her usual self, but back to her senses at the very least much to both Lilith’s and Ordis’ relief.

               “YES.” Simaris’s answer was immediate. “IF HE WISHES TO PLAY THE ROLE OF A HUNTER, THEN HE IS FREE TO USE IT AS ANY OTHER. ALBEIT IT, UNDER  _ADVANCED_  SUPERVISION.”

               “Thank you, Simaris.” Ordis said softly.

               Alice seemed wholly relieved by this turn and after a few more exchanges of conversation with Simaris, she and Lilith began taking their leave. But not before stopping to wish Ordis luck and remind him that if something were to go wrong to contact them immediately. It was almost as though he was now the child in the relationship, despite how it was meant to be the opposite.

               He could understand the shift, however. This being the first time he would be left unsupervised, by them at least, after the last incident where he was left alone. So he appreciated the expressions of concern whole heartedly. And once they had gone, he turned towards the console just to the left of the door and entered Simaris’ simulacrum.

               Ordis felt right at home within the simulated environment the moment he set foot within it. The space akn to his own datascape, a place he hadn’t visited in some time since he’d been given the Limbo.

               He looked down at his hands, allowing the energy that filled the frame to dance across them. He was already getting an itch to use the abilities the frame was made for aftet having already simulated within his own mind all the things he could do with the Limbo’s powerset. Of course, they were all with his Operators’ fighting styles in mind. He would have to make adjustments once he figured out his own and once he could actually utilize them.

              Attempting to rift walk would be an easy starting point off. However, when he tried…

              Nothing happened.

              He was still in the normal plain. Even redoing the equation for it in his head and applying it brought about no change.

              How was that possible? He had run many calibrations and diagnostics. He’d spent hours— _days_ , dedicated to making sure he could perform it. He should have been able to enter the rift easily, in theory. So why—

               “HAVING TROUBLE?” Simaris suddenly spoke up.

               “Mmm… yes,” Ordis answered a bit hesitantly. “For some reason, Ordis just can’t access the frame’s abilities or tap into its energy reserves.”

               “THAT IS BECAUSE THE SIMULACRUM’S POWER DAMPNING FIELD IS ACTIVE.” Simaris explained.

               “Oh, well, would you mind turning it off, Simaris?”

               “NOT JUST YET.”

                _What?_

               “Why?” Ordis asked, suddenly getting a terrible feeling about the whole situation. And he was right to feel that way since not far off several mimeograph Grineer Heavy Gunners had been spawned within the Simulacrum’s limited space. “ ** _Simaris?_** _!_ ”

               “SINCE SUDA WILL NO DOUBT BE CURIOUS,” Simaris began. But what came next Ordis didn’t believe in the slightest. “BEFORE YOU INDULGE YOURSELF, I’VE DECIDED TO RUN A SMALL STRESS TEST. ONE THAT WILL SHOW THE EFFECTS OF CONTROLLING A WARFRAME ON YOUR FIGHT OR FLIGHT PROCESSING CAPABILITIES. SPECIFICALLY; WHEN PRESENTED A SITUATION WHERE YOU CANNOT PERFORM DEFENSIVE MEASURES TO KEEP YOUR NEW PHYSICAL BODY INTACT.”

               “ ** _Why you HAlF Bit—_** “

               As if on cue, the heavy gunners pointed their weapons at him and began to fire round after round. Several bullets finding themselves new homes buried in the flesh of the frame.

The pain caused Ordis to cry out, even staggering him until he managed to take cover behind one of the pillars nearby. Fear was something one would usually feel in this sort of situation. One where it seemed that someone they had trusted had suddenly betrayed them with the probable intent to kill. But instead all he felt was the same unbridled rage from before.

               “ ** _SuCk a DiCk, SIMARIS!_** ”


	5. Chapter 5

               Once Simaris’— _That petty son of a_ —'test’ was finished, and any injuries his frame had received were patched up, Ordis could _finally_ perform his own within the Simulacrum. Albeit with a bit of hesitation and paranoia; not knowing that if at any moment it was possible Simaris could once again decide to spring another ‘test’ on him. Though after some time had passed without any additional surprises, he allowed himself to relax and fully enjoy his experimentations.

               Slipping in and out of the rift with the algorithm memorized came with ease. Fluid even. It just felt natural, as though he were merely walking through ankle deep water. The air around him filling with the melodic hums of void energy.

               He could understand why Alice had favored using the Limbo despite never being able to tap into the frame’s full potential. Just the sound of the rift was soothing, entrancing even, like a familiar song. Much like Octavia’s Anthem had been for Suda. The ‘why’ question towards her using a frame she had no skill with finally had an answer now.

               But as much as he would have _loved_ to just allow himself to be lulled by the music of the rift, he had other abilities to test out first.

               And, of course, he was still unsure if he could fully trust Simaris to not pull one over on him again. So, rather than test his luck on some of his stronger specimens, he spawned the weakest that had been catalogued and were available. Just to be sure.

               Casting enemies into the rift. Forcing their movements to a standstill. Surging the energy of the rift around those in it to blind and pull others close by into it. All of it was relatively easy to him. But that was no surprise given just how much time as he had divulged into simulating them within his own systems. And of course, studying past observations of Alice using the frame herself. As well as… _Odd_ instances where, when the Limbo—as well as Lilith’s Loki—hadn’t been properly stored. Moments where they would wander about the lower levels of the Orbiter.

               He considered this ‘Odd’ since he hadn’t detected any sort of consciousness within the frame himself once he began using it. Almost as if his own mind had overridden whatever self the frame may have had upon transfering with it.

               “HAVING ‘FUN’?” Simaris’ voice pulled Ordis from his theorem processes. Making him realize that he had at some point sat himself down to think in the center of a Cataclysm bubble he’d cast.

               Ordis gave pause before speaking a reply. He was indeed rather satisfied with the results he had gotten thus far. However, did he consider it ‘fun’? Well, for the part of him that was still Cephalon, advanced mathematic equations and the like did bring him joy. Especially when he successfully formulated or even solved ones of extreme difficulty…

               “Yes.” He answered, folding the arms of his frame as he continued to sit.

               Simaris seemed to huff in response.

               “YOU REALLY HAVE RESIGNED YOURSELF TO THIS, HAVEN’T YOU?” Simaris asked, his voice disrupting the tranquil chimes of the rift as they reached Ordis’ auditory sensors.

               “Ordis’ Operators believe that this will help him, and Ordis agrees. It’s meant to create a merging of who I was and who I am now. Stabilize me in a way remaining in charge of just the Orbiter wouldn’t be able to accomplish. Despite how I kept trying to convince them otherwise that ignoring my past and just pushing forward would work best in the end.”

               He looked at his frame’s hands as he spoke, flexing the fingers as he had when he’d first initiated Transference with it. Only unlike then, there was no noticeable delay. Nothing there to remind him he wasn’t entirely bound to his frame body but the ever permanent connection to the Orbiter. The ship's systems stillfully intergrated and a big part of him he was unable to ignore.

               “And it is supposed to… Give me a sense of control and semblance of freedom over my eternal sentence. Even though I had already come to accept it long ago and embrace it.” He took a brief pause, deactivating his visual sensors briefly to create the illusion of having closed his eyes. “Something you wouldn’t understand, seeing as you became a Cephalon by choice. And I won’t implore you to try.”

               “AN INTERESTING DECISION.” Simaris commented, whatever opposition he’d had before seeming to have completely gone. “BUT ONE THAT DOES NOT MATCH PREVIOUS BEHAVIOR ON YOUR PART, _ORDAN KARRIS_ , CONSIDERING THE KNOWLEDGE AND HISTORY OF YOUR PERSON SUDA HAS SHARED.”

               “Yes? Your point, Simaris?”

               Of course Suda would have such information. _Of course_ she would share it with Simaris the second he brought up this ‘situation’ with her. Her primary function was to know about anything and everything involving the past Orokin Empire and all that came after. Who he was, was no different. However, why she chose to share such information with Simaris was unknown. Perhaps she still felt she owed thanks to him for his assistance in fighting off Hunhow. Maybe she even saw it as a way of returning the favor by giving him such information so he could be prepared to protect himself or prevent Ordis himself from attempting self-destruction. A means to urge him to try and integrate the ‘null cephalon’ he complained about into his Sanctuary again who he oftern showed mixed feelings towards.

               Well, whatever the reason, it didn’t bother him. Nor did being called by his old name. Perhaps it would have at the start of all this, just as when Hunhow had. But not anymore.

               How had this even come to pass, anyway? The memories of the aftermath of his attempts at defending Suda were full of holes. The missing memory not being his own doing as he would usually suspect, but that of the damage his core’s main systems had received in that final onslaught. It had gotten to the point where he even ceased functioning all together for a few seconds at repeated intervals until they could restore them and download his most recent records from the Weave so he could perform a critical restore to his data.

               He remembered how he could hear Alice crying while Lilith worked with… Was it Darvo? Simaris? Lotus? Whoever it was she had been speaking to over coms.

               It was when they’d gone to restore his memory banks, going through every bit of data to ensure there were no traces of Hunhow’s code left behind. That was what had triggered it.

               Lilith had managed to touch upon the hidden memories he hadn’t wanted them to see. The messages, the reminders he had mainly created for himself, playing back over the Orbiter’s speakers imbedded in files that otherwise would have seemed harmless.

               They had been… Shocked, to say the least.

               And yet, they hadn’t said anything about it. Not to him at least; knowing that it was something he had wanted to keep to himself. Something he had wanted to hide from them. But he would often pick up their hushed conversations about it in times where they thought him ‘asleep’. Believing that he was unaware they even knew of the discovered shards of himself he had hidden away. He always wanted to reassure them that it wasn’t their faults, that they had nothing to do with it. But he couldn’t bring himself to speak of it. He didn’t want to hear anything about his old life let alone acknowledge it until they had finally brought it up with him.

               Perhaps he should have spoken to them on his past sooner. Perhaps he hadn't tried to keep it from them in the first place. And yet, he was also glad he had. He may not have ended up where he was now otherwise.

               “ _Is_ there a point, or were just expecting some sort of reaction to that name?” Ordis angled his head upwards, beginning to understand what Lilith meant when she said talking to the frame was better than talking to the ceiling. Having gotten used to the limited field of vision of the Limbo, he wasn’t exactly sure where he was meant to look when talking with the other Cephalon outside the Weave without his projection present.“Because if you were: I’m sorry to say you won’t be getting one.”

               “THEN IT WOULD SEEM YOU TRUELLY HAVE CALMED YOURSELF SINCE EARLIER.” Simaris said as Ordis stood up from the Simulacrum floor. The bubble of rift energy collapsing in on itself as he did. “GOOD.”

               “Is this your way of expressing concern, Simaris?” Ordis scoffed and would have rolled his eyes if the frame had them. And if he had a mouth, he may have even smiled. “And here Ordis was thinking after that test you ran that you didn’t care for him at all.”

               Simaris didn’t respond.

⃝

               “YOU WILL HAVE TO COME TO A CONCULSION AS TO WHICH TOOLS YOU WILL USE EVENTUALLY IF YOU WISH TO JOIN YOUR TENNO OUT ON THE FIELD.”

               “Ordis is aware, Simaris.”

               “YOU HAVE PRESENTLY TESTED SIXTY-SEVEN DIFFERENT TYPES OF WEAPONRY AND HAVE YET TO CONSIDER A SINGLE ONE.” Simaris stated. “ALL OF THEM WERE MORE THAN EFFICIENT FOR THE TASK AND WERE WORTHY CHOICES.”

               Ordis merely shook his head as he set aside another mimeograph copy of a weapon he’d tried. Entirely aware that the other Cephalon had grown impatient with his lack of a decision in what couldn’t have been more than an hour.

               He wasn’t looking for efficiency. No. He was looking for something else. A feeling. Something about the weapon that just drew him in. A connection to it. A weapon he was already familiar with using.

               And he was already fully aware of which it was. He always had been.

               He was just… Stalling. Mentally preparing himself so to not become overwhelmed with emotion.  There was always the chance he could just have another panic attack because of the feedback from the Limbo. And he also wanted to avoid a repeat of his actions towards Lilith when she had jokingly called him by the title the Orokin had given him. Of course, there wasn’t anyone in the Simulacrum other than him that he could hurt. But he would rather be prepared nonetheless.

               Prepared to face the dream.

               The nightmare.

               “Simaris,” He spoke up after taking a pause. Slowly inhaling and then exhaling through the frame to collect himself.  “Create a mimeograph pair of Boltace, please.”

               The other Cephalon granted his request without a word. The tonfas materializing upon a hovering pedestal of data within arm’s reach. And now that they were in front of him, Ordis could only stare.

               The metal ribbing, the sharp, puncturing, daggers that protruded outwards leading into a hallowed sword blade towards the back. The way the light reflected off each detail of their being ever so dangerously. They were quite the deadly and less than graceful set of blades, in both presentation and performance. Ones perfectly befitting a horrible and once prideful beast.

               A beast like him.

               Cautiously, he began reaching towards them. Feeling a form of longing growing deep within him. He wanted to hold them again. _Needed_ to hold them again. A compelling urge that was one of the strongest he had ever felt. But still, he took pause. Letting the frame, letting _himself,_ breathe before taking them up in his hands.

               They were just as he remembered.

               Memories of battles long past flashed through his mind.

               His scarlet sword, stained in the ichor of all those he had slaughtered.

               His brothers and sisters in arms fighting alongside him for the mere glory of it all.

               Their faces, nothing but smoke, but the bond he’d shared with them he could remember clearly. The familial ties. Not of blood, but of the mere enjoyment of battle.  Always by his side.

               And then he was alone.

               Alone atop of that moon of rib and skull he had created. Suffocating on the bone sand that flooded his helmet. Wanting for nothing but his own death. A death meant to make himself and his people remembered by being the first to ever kill the immortal golden lords. The first to make all those they ruled over see that they could rise and over throw them. A death that was meant to be the start of a revolutionary stand against the Orokin.

               A death that would never come…

               “ORDIS.” Simaris calling out to him snapped him back. And for once, he was glad of just how loud the other Cephalon was.

               Consumed by his memories, he had started subconsciously clutching the Boltace handles in a death grip. Holding them so close to his person in a deadly embrace where the blades threatened to burrow into the flesh of his frame. And yet he couldn’t bring himself to let them go. He didn’t _want_ to let them go.

               Despite how much he trembled.

               Despite how much it felt as though his hands were _burning_.

               He _hated_ them.

               “LET THE FRAME BREATHE, ORDIS.” Simaris continued on. “OR ARE YOU ACTIVELY _TRYING_ TO EXPERIENCE SUFFOCATION LIKE THE MASOCHISTIC CEPHALON YOU ARE?”

               “I am not a masochist, Simaris.” Ordis said with a scoff but still did as he was instructed. Having not realized until it was pointed out that he had been holding ‘his’ breath.

               “REALLY? WELL YOU CERTAINLY HAVE ME CONVINCED OTHERWISE.”

               “Just be glad I can’t _personally **kick** your **aSS** **right now**_.” His reply, while carrying a mild threat, sounded exhausted. Hell, he _felt_ exhausted. And Cephalons weren’t even _meant_ to _ever_ feel tired.

               Perhaps it was just another effect of the Limbo?

               No.

              Warframes didn’t experience fatigue. It had to have been the weight of the memories taking a toll on him. Maybe he’d let himself rest once back on the Orbiter by putting himself under a deep diagnostic scan for a few hours. That was the closest he could get to sleep, after all. And it wasn’t as though he could just try and drink his problems away like he would have in his past life. Even if he did have the sudden urge to do so now.

               “PERHAPS IT IS BEST WE PUT A STOP TO THINGS FOR TODAY.” Simaris suggested, almost hesitantly. “YOU DO NOT SEEM TO BE PERFORMING WELL ENOUGH TO CONTINUE. AND I WILL NOT HAVE YOU LOSING YOURSELF AND SUFFERING A SYSTEM’S MELTDOWN WHILE UNDER MY WATCH.”

               Before Ordis could say anything in protest, the Boltace in his hands began to deconstruct themselves. Returning to nothing but mere bits of data like the rest that made up the Simulacrum. His hands clenched around the empty air, feeling as though a part of him had been stolen away all over again.

               “ ** _Give them back_** …” He found himself muttering under his breath. The frame’s pulse quickening as an onslaught of sudden panic came over him.

               _No. Not again. Calm yourself, Ordis. **Calm yourself.**_

               He wrapped his arms around himself, forcing the frame to take deep breaths. Going so far to surround him in rift energy so he could focus on the sound of its chimes. Doing all he could at the same time to not connect them to the foul ones within his memory and begin relieving his last moments all over again.

               “IT WOULD APPEAR MY JUDGMENT WAS CORRECT.” Simaris mused. “YOU ARE NOT FIT TO REMAIN WITHIN THE SIMULACRUM. _NOR_ IN THAT WARFRAME.” He took a pause as if to ensure he remained entirely assertive. “I SUGGEST YOU SEVER YOUR CONNECTION TO IT. _IMMEDIATELY_.”

               “ ** _What?_** ” Ordis lifted his head at such a speed that, had he been human, the bones in his neck would have snapped.

               “IT IS OBVIOUSLY TOO MUCH FOR YOU TO WIDTHSTAND FOR EXTENDED PERIODS OF TIME.” Simaris explained in a tone that suggested that he knew what was best for the other Cephalon, even should he disagree. “WHEN DID YOU LAST REMOVE THE PART OF YOURSELF THAT INHABITS THE FRAME?”

               “ _What does it matter when I last cut the Transference link was?_ ” Ordis demanded, already taking on a defensive stance much like Lilith would. He’d apparently picked up a lot of body language from her without realizing.

               “IT MATTERS WHEN YOU BECOME A RISK TO YOURSELF AND THE REST OF US ON THE WEAVE!”

               “ ** _How the hell am I a risk?!_** ”

               “I COULD FEEL THE EMOTIONAL OVERLOAD THROUGH YOUR PROXIMITY WITHIN _MY OWN_ PROCESSES! **_DESPITE_** HOW YOU’VE MUTED YOUR PRESENCE AND LOWERED YOUR DATA FLOWS' INFLUENCE!” Simaris practically spat with the same feelings of anger that Ordis had just expressed. “IT WAS THE SAME BACK WITHIN THE SANCTUARY WHEN YOU THREW YOUR ‘TEMPER TANTRUM’! YOU HAVE _NO_ CONTROL OVER THE DATA FLOW OF YOUR MEMORIES AND THE IMPACT THEY HOLD! THEY LEAK OUT AND INFECT THE REST OF US LIKE A VIRUS; MUCH LIKE WHEN HUNHOW OVER TOOK SUDA AND I WAS FORCED TO ABANDON YOU BOTH UNTIL I COULD NO LONGER!”

               “ ** _That—_** ”

               “THE OVERLOAD OF YOUR EMOTIONAL INFLUXES EFFECTED ME THEN JUST AS IT IS NOW.” Simaris didn’t let Ordis so much as finish his thought. “SO YES, IT  _MATTERS_. BECAUSE THIS DOES NOT EFFECT _JUST_ **_YOU_** AS YOU SELFISHLY TRY TO BELIEVE! IT EFFECTS ALL OTHER CEPHALON _NEAR_ YOU OVER _THE FULL_ _SPAN_ OF THE WEAVE THE CLOSER TO YOU THEY ARE!” He paused briefly, as if to collect himself before speaking in his usual stoic manner. One that was much quieter than what Ordis was used to hearing from the other Cephalon. “Do you understand, Ordis?”

               Ordis had nothing to say in response. He’d originally been planning a retort. He always did when it came to Simaris if he didn’t just flat out ignore him. But what he’d just said snuffed out any words that had been forming on the tip of his ‘tongue’ before he could even fully actualize them. Leaving him to just stand there in silence as Simaris’ hung heavy in the air, letting him feel the full weight of them on his being.

               “I… Ordis did not consider that…” He said in a softer and calmer tone of voice once he finally spoke, dispersing the rift energy surrounding him. “You are... Right, Simaris…,” He placed his hands over his face as he took in a breath, slowly dragging them downward. Mentally berating himself for not considering the full effects on the Weave his Operators’ decision, and by default his own, would have. Even if he had tried to subdue them. “Perhaps it would be for the best if my connection to the Weave _was_ cut...”

               “NO.” Simaris dismissed the suggestion.“THAT WOULD COMPLETELY NULLIFY THE DEAL SUDA AND I HAVE MADE INVOLVING THE EXCHANGE OF DATA SHOULD I CUT YOU WITHOUT A MORE ‘VIABLE’ REASON. AND YOU ARE STILL PERFECTLY FUNCTIONAL... MOSTLY.”

               “Then what _are_ you going to do?” Ordis questioned, lowering his hands and angling his gaze skyward again.

               “THE THOUGHT OF REPURPOSING THE OROKIN SPY PROGRAM IN YOUR CODING CROSSED MY MIND. IT WOULD REQUIRE MINIMAL ALTERING TO HAVE IT ACT AS A REMOTE KILL SWITCH SHOULD WHAT IT FEEDS BACK TO ME DEEM THE ACTION NECESSARY AS ITS ORIGINAL PURPOSE INTENDED. BUT…”

               “But?” Ordis urged him to continue.

               “THAT WOULD ONLY RISK GETTING MYSELF GETTING DRAGGED DOWN ALONG WITH YOU INTO DEGREDATION DUE TO THE CONNECTION I WOULD HAVE TO ESTABLISH.”

               “Well we can’t have that now, can we?”

               “DO I DETECT TRACES OF SARCASM?”

               “… Maybe.”

               “NULL.” Simaris seemed to say as an insult before continuing. “NONETHELESS, I’VE DECIDED TO INSTEAD HAVE ONE OF MY HELIOS SENTINELS ACCOMPANY YOU UPON YOUR LEAVE AND ACT AS MY ‘EYES AND EARS’ OUTSIDE OF THE RELAY SINCE I WILL BE BLOCKING YOUR DATA STREAMS FOR MY OWN SAFETY.”

               “So either way, Ordis will be getting a ‘guard dog’ to watch over him?” Ordis crossed his arms and sighed. He wanted to argue about such a thing not being needed, but he was already past his limit. And he would still have to somehow deal with Suda after all this.

               At least she wouldn’t be as much of a pain as Simaris tended to be.

               “CORRECT.” Simaris confirmed what Ordis was already aware of as the Simulacrum began to fall away. Reverting back to the black empty room with a telepad it was in actuality. “HOWEVER,” He took on a tone of warning as Ordis began having the frame make his leave.

               “ _What is it now, Simaris?_ ” He grumbled, wondering what he could possibly have to say.

               “IF YOU SO MUCH AS DAMAGE MY DARLING SENTINEL IN ANY WAY, I WILL NOT HESITATE TO _DESTROY_ YOU AND PLACE WHATEVER REMAINS ON DISPLAY WITHIN THE SANCTUARY'S ARCHIVES.”

               Ordis couldn't help but scoff in amusement at the threat.

               “Wouldn’t _dream_ of it, Simaris.”


	6. Chapter 6

               The little Helios emitted mechanical whirls and chirps as it followed Ordis out of the Sanctuary. The minimalistic AI it possessed making its behavior seem almost like an overly excited child or dog being sent outside to play after having been cooped up indoors for so long. That is, if children or dogs were made of metal and could annoyingly fly circles around one’s head.

               Just like the Helios was doing with Ordis right now.

               “Would you _please_ settle down?” He pleaded with it, resisting the urge to slap it away like a pest.

               The curious little machine paused for a moment to stare at him, as if considering his words… Only to immediately return to its previous behavior of scanning everyone and everything it came across. Him included. Mainly him. _Mostly_ him.

               “Ordis didn’t think so.” He sighed as he continued moving towards the lift that would take him down to Suda’s floor. However, he found his attention drifting to the room just across from the door of the Sanctuary: Darvo’s Market.

               He wondered if the Corpus smuggler was actually in his shop, considering how he possessed many in the Tenno Relays. Chances were, he was, since Alice and Lilith had been very specific on visiting _this_ relay out of all of them. Simaris and Suda could be met with at any due to the extensive span they could stretch their consciousness between those that remained. So, their urging him to take them to Larunda when Orcus was closest would make no logical sense if seeing _him_ wasn’t part of the agenda.

               A quick tapping into his Operators’ warframe trackers told him he may be right since Alice’s Banshee Prime was in there. But the girl could have just, for some reason, decided to just hide herself away in an empty room. _Again_.

               “Alright, little sentinel, I’m going to be making a detour,” Ordis spoke to the Helios that continued to circle around him as he pointed towards the door. “No need to alert Simaris, alright? Ordis is just going to see his Operator before meeting Suda as planned.”

               The Helios lightly chirped—Its way of giving understanding Ordis assumed—before continuing to scan him as before. And with the possibility of it getting Simaris on his case for no real reason out of the way, Ordis proceeded.

               The door opened automatically once he was close enough; revealing that he was correct in his assumption of Darvo being aboard the relay. Because there he was, just casually speaking with Alice—who was outside her frame—with that strange defective Grineer clone, ‘Clem’, beside him. Darvo's head rose upon Ordis’ entrance into his shop, his eyes lighting up at the sight of an unfamiliar ‘Tenno’. His conversation with Alice immediately put on hold.

               "Oh, hello, Tenno! Welcome to my little shop," He greeted warmly with a wave, his voice welcoming despite its hoarseness. "Always a pleasure seeing a new face... You _are_ new here, right?" Darvo cocked his head as he studied the Limbo. Squinting at it as if to find any sort of giveaway that would let him know it was someone he knew. "Or are you a usual with a new Warframe? Honestly, you Tenno keep changing them and I'm starting to lose track of who's who."

               “Oh, you could say I’m a usual.” Ordis answered as he resisted the urge to laugh in amusement. Unlike with Simaris, he wasn’t at all surprised Darvo had no idea who he was. But he wondered just how long it would take for him to figure it out by the perplexed look he got in response. His voice, if anything, should have been a dead giveaway. Though its pitch had begun shifting these days, so perhaps it wasn’t that good of an identifying feature as it used to be.

               “Already finished with what you wanted to do in Simaris’ Simulacrum, Ordy?” Alice questioned, practically skipping over to him. Giving away the mystery right then and there. “Did you decide on any weapons?” She looked up at him with hopeful eyes and steepled fingers. But then her attention was immediately taken by the Helios above his head and she practically squealed. “He let you take one of his Helios!? He won’t even let _me_ borrow one when I ask!”

               “Well actually—"

               “That’s your ship Cephalon!?” Darvo exclaimed in shock before Ordis could answer his Operator's multiple questions. The Corpus already taking on a somewhat defensive stance.

               “Grakata?” Clem mirrored Darvo’s surprise, but also appeared confused as to what was going on. Clearly out of the loop.

               “What’s the matter?” Ordis asked, a snicker clearly audible as he spoke. Pushing aside the exhaustion that still plagued his processors just so he could have the brief satisfaction of taunting Darvo as he slowly approached. It wasn’t as though he would get this opportunity a second time. “Scared by a _little **glitched** **CePHalOn?**_ ”

               “Ordy…” Alice took on warning as well as disappointed tone as she stood with hands on her hips. Her unoccupied frame already moving to pull him away from Darvo if the need arose.

               "More like, I'm surprised that the glitched Cephalon is still even functional," Darvo mocked Ordis’ attempt at intimidating him, rather unfazed by his presence and more-so annoyed by the fact that he’d shown up all together. "Before your Tenno informed me that their plan was a success, I assumed all the upgrades they'd receive from me wound up frying what little was left of your defunct processors. But look at you, Mr. _Grand_ Cephalon! Standing here! Next to me!" Darvo crossed his arms over his chest as his sarcasm became more and more aggressive. "In my _shop_. _Why_? You want to insult my mother to my face?"

               “Pfft, as if I would waste time doing something of that sort.” Ordis scoffed, swatting at Simaris’ Helios when it got in the way of his stare down with Darvo. The little sentinel letting out a sort of whine in response.

               “I have several explicit messages from you that suggest otherwise.” Darvo’s frown deepened before he cocked a brow. “Can’t even show a smidge of gratitude, huh? Typical bugged Cephalon.”

               “ ** _Believe me,_** Ordis is _very_ grateful for what you’ve done to help him. _Extremely_ so.” However, his tone was anything but as he held a hand over his chest.

               Despite how he was grateful, he just couldn’t bring himself to show it when the one he was supposed to be thanking was a _Corpus_. A direct descendant to the Orokin. But… Was that any real reason to feel such hatred towards the man? It wasn’t as though he had slighted him personally. Thinking about it, it was rather silly and meaningless, wasn’t it? And yet he just couldn’t stop these feelings of wrath and distrust. Not fully. Not yet.

               “But that’s not why he’s here now.” The shoulders of Ordis’ frame sagged briefly as he spoke to appear more relaxed and set Darvo at ease. “Ordis merely came to retrieve his Operator before visiting Suda.” He gestured to Alice with the same hand that’d been on his chest.

               “I still have to talk with him about a few more things!” Alice exclaimed before blinking and shifting the conversation topic. Though it wasn’t at all that much of a change when he considered it had probably been what they’d been talking about before he arrived. “Where there any weapons you liked in the Simulacrum?”

               “None.” Ordis’ answer was almost immediate.

               “None?” Alice’s big white eyes grew wide. “Why?”

               “Why? **_Believe me._** Ordis tried many, but wasn’t able to find one that… _Felt_ right before Simaris **_forced_** —insisted I leave for the day.” An obvious lie. But it wasn’t as though the girl knew the truth of what happened. That he’d nearly had another break down right then and there. And he preferred it _stayed_ that way. Especially since the situation had already been dealt with… Mostly.

               “Oh.” Alice pursed her lips in obvious disappointment.

               “Not a problem. Feel free to take your time.” Darvo shrugged. “If I’m honest, the idea of giving your Cephalon any of my merchandise isn’t something I look forward to.”

               “And why is that?” Ordis tilted his frame’s head, oddly not feeling the need to create some sort of insult to throw Darvo’s way should he not like the answer he gave him. He didn’t even feel like uttering a simple ‘go to hell’. Was it the exhaustion? The reduced levels of rage he carried within him? Or was it both?

               “A Cephalon with messed up processors like _you_ with weapons?” Darvo pointed towards Ordis as though to make it entirely clear that it was him he was talking about. “Trouble waiting to happen. But hopefully that trouble is for someone who’s name _isn’t_ ‘Darvo’.”

               “Clem!”

               “Yes, that’s right.” Darvo nodded at the seemingly meaningless exclamation of his friend. “Or ‘Clem’.”

               “Fair enough.” Ordis admitted while giving a shrug. His compliance with Darvo’s statement perplexing the Corpus smuggler to the point his mouth partially hung open. “Operator,” He turned his attention to Alice who was also surprised he hadn’t reacted as he usually would. “You had to speak with Suda as well, didn’t you? You haven’t submitted any updates to her while you and Lilith were busy looking after me. You may as well come along, no?”

               “Uhm.” Alice held her hand to her mouth as she looked between both him and Darvo briefly. “Okay.” She cast an apologetic smile to Darvo before returning to the confines of her Banshee Prime. “It’s okay if my sister and I just contact you later, right Darvy?”

               “Oh, yeah, sure.” Darvo nodded in agreement, after shaking off the dumbfound expression he’d been wearing. “And in regards to your Cephalon’s ‘pickiness’—”

               “Ordis is willing to take whatever it is you decide to give him.” Ordis interjected before taking Alice’s frame by the arm. The Helios above his head letting out what sounded like a concerned beep at how sudden he had grabbed her. “No need to further waste yours or my Operators’ time on this. I am more than capable of making do with whatever sodding weapon you entrust me with.”

               “... If you say so.” Darvo continued to look at him as through he had a second head growing out of his frame. “But if you send me any threatening messages about it or come and wreck my shop in a glitched fit, I’m blacklisting your Tenno.” He said the last part while looking to Alice, rather than Ordis himself. “No offense.”

               “That’s fair.” Alice gave a bit of a sad sigh. One that Ordis could tell just by her tone was accompanied by a pout. “We can still talk and give you and Clem a hand need be, right?”

               “Clem!” Clem was the one to answer her, giving a nod with his duel masked face.

               The conversation finally at its end, the two left Darvo’s shop and began making their way to the energy lift.

               “Are you okay, Ordy?” Alice asked as they drew near it, pulling her frame’s arm free from his grasp. Stopping the both of them in their tracks. “You’re acting weird. And not your _usual_ weird. Did something happen?”

               “… No. Nothing happened. But I’m not okay either…” Ordis answered, pinching himself where a brow would be, were he not controlling a frame. While he didn’t want to speak of what happened in the Simulacrum, he knew trying to lie about his present state wouldn’t help either. “There’s a dull _pain_ spreading from recently unearthed memories. But not like the pain from before. I can’t fully explain it.” He leaned against the tubular glass structure that surrounded the lift. “It’s like, all the different emotions I’ve ever felt in every moment are trying to relay together all at once. It’s… Draining me. It’s all just… Too much. The dream, the memories, the _voices.._. Ordis isn’t sure he can handle it for much longer right now. I feel as though, if I were allowed, I would spend the next thousand years in a long sleep just a you and Lilith did.”

               “Is… That the real reason you came to get me?” Alice wrapped her arms around his in a supportive gesture. Bringing herself as close to him as she could while in her own frame. “Do you want me to call Lily so we can go home? Do you _want_ to go home?”

               “Yes. But if we were to go now we would just have to return another day, wouldn’t we?” Ordis sighed, pulling away from the glass and turning to look at Alice’s frame. “It would be better to just get this all over with while we can. We’re already here and we can’t just stop halfway through. Besides…” He gestured upward towards the Helios that was silently chirping in worry. “Simaris’ little _spy_ wouldn’t be too happy with us leaving before seeing Suda. And neither would he.”

               “So that’s why he has it following you?” Alice tilted her head back to look at the sentinel. “To watch you?”

               “He did inform you I would be under advanced supervision, Operator.” Ordis forced a light chuckle. “This is just how he intends to follow through with it. I consider it better than the alternative he originally had planned.”

               “If you say so…” Alice didn’t at all sound convinced as the Helios lightly bumped itself against the side of her frame’s head as it scanned her. “Before we see Suda, do you want to rest for a bit? Just… Sit down and disconnect for a while?”

               “That’s what Simaris suggested too.” He gave a real laugh this time, albeit a pitiful one as they entered the lift and began their decent. “Ordis will disconnect only after we’ve left the relay while he’s running a deep diagnostic scan on his systems.” He tried to make himself sound as cheery as possible. “But don’t worry, I’ll be perfectly fine until th—"

               His sentence was cut off as he was pinned to the concave wall of the lift. The girl having thrown the full weight of her frame at him, stunning and knocking the air out of his own. Her arms locked tightly around his neck as she continued to pin him there, head pressed into his chest as though she were trying to hide her face. Which, of course, was pointless seeing as the frame didn’t have one.

               Still, Ordis understood the reasons behind this action.  It was one she’d done many times after they had found him in that mess of a mental state in the ship’s lavatory. Whenever she thought he was in need of it, even when he never actually said anything on how he was feeling, she’d tightly hug him as though her life depended on it. Just as she was doing now through her frame.

               “Oh Alice…” A genuine laugh escaped himas he returned the act of affection and rested the Limbo’s head against her Banshee’s. Even though it felt different from how she would hug him as her smaller true self, the love behind it didn’t feel any less real or genuine. “What did I do to deserve the two of you?”

               “Uh…”

               An unfamiliar voice caused Ordis’ attention to immediately snap to the source. Not having realized the lift had stopped, they were now being ogled by another Tenno in an Excalibur. As soon as he saw them, they immediately raised their frame’s hands and took a step back before quickly scampering off towards the other lift. Almost as though he were… Giving them space?

               Wait… _Did they think they were_ —

               “What was that about?” Alice questioned, pulling away from him to look at the fleeing Excalibur.

               “Ordis wouldn’t dwell on it too much, Operator.” Ordis muttered, taking her by the hand, not waiting for the Helios to finish making its way down the shaft to follow. Its distressed chirps echoing out as it flew as fast as it could to catch up.

               With the long strides they were making, it didn’t take long for them to reach their destination.

               “There you are, Cephalon Ordis.” Suda’s melodic voice sounded the moment the door to her syndicate’s headquarters opened. “I was beginning to wonder if you too were begining to develop faulty memory and had forgotten to meet with me. But it would appear I was incorrect with this hypothesis.” She paused as they approached, the holographic wall falling away and revealing the window to her datascape and her simplified avatar. “It is good to see you.”

               “It’s good to see you as well, Cephalon Suda.” Ordis held a hand to his chest while Alice neatly clasped her hands together and gave a short bow. “Though Ordis wishes it had been entirely under his own volition rather than through threat.”

               “I am aware. Irmis has filed several complaints to me about your behavior as well as instructions on how to handle your outbursts and memory floods.”

               “You mean ‘ _Simaris’_.” Ordis corrected. “Still having problems with your own memory banks, Suda? Did your Critical Restore precept not fully mend them?”

               “No, the restore worked as intended.” Suda stated plainly. “Just as yours did once your Operators managed to trigger it for you.”

               “That’s good!” Alice chirped. “But what did Ordis do? Why’s Simaris complaining about him?” She tilted her frame’s head curiously.

               “ _When **doesn’t** he complain?_ ” Ordis shook his head and folded his arms. “How many has he filed?”

               “Three-hundred-eighty-five as of today.” Suda answered, her projection flickering briefly and then paused. “Correction, Three-hundred-eighty-six per recent update. Though the last complaint was directed towards myself for purposely misnaming him as his sentinel recorded.” Both Ordis and Alice couldn’t help but snicker at this information but stifled their laughs when she spoke once more. “Ordis, may I request we speak of the matters I wish to discuss with you, and the data we shall exchange, in private? Or are you more at ease having one of your Operators present?”

               “Uuh…”

               “I can leave if you need me to.” Alice answered before Ordis could give a response of his own. “I just had data that I collected for you to submit and wanted to ask a few things, but I can do that when you’re done.”

               “Thank you, Alice.” Suda’s projection bobbed as though she were nodding. “Actually, I have request you may perform while you wait.” She then started, seeming almost thoughtful for a moment. “There is a little Corpus girl somewhere on the relay I am meant to look after. She is currently being accompanied by a Cephalon by the name of Ava within a portable transportation unit. Would you be willing to find and lead her back to my syndicate dwellings for me?”

               “Of course!” Alice agreed without question, heading out not long after as Ordis watched. The door shutting and locking behind her.

               “Little Corpus girl?” Ordis asked as he turned back to Suda’s projection.

               “Her name is Gala,” Suda began to explain. “A runaway with a knack of locating other Cephalon we believed to have been long lost to the Weave while out scavenging. Cephalons Hel and Ghost are among two of those she has managed to recover recently. Cephalon Ghost now assists me in data collecting, mostly with pertaining to other Cephalons and their current status. While Cephalon Hel is… Under supervised defragmentation and debugging.”

               “Why did Ordis not hear of this before?” Ordis’ arms lowered to his side, clearly baffled by this information and unsure of how he should feel.

               On one hand, this Gala was Corpus. But she was also still a child. He couldn’t actively hate a child. Children were often _never_ the source of anything foul in the system unless corrupted and rotten adults were behind the scenes, pulling at the strings. Such as the ones who prompted him to finally see how he also had been used as nothing but a puppet when _that_ child had been brought to him…

               “She had previously been seeking asylum with Perrin Sequence and only came into my care recently…” Suda continued, filling in on the things he had missed while his presence on the Weave had been muted. Things he would have known about long ago already had this whole ‘adventure’ never started.

               “Wow…” Was all Ordis had to say, still trying to wrap his mind around this information. It sounded unbelievable, that a child was capable of something like that. But then again, his own Operators were still mere children capable of the impossible.

               “Now that your data on how I’ve been fairing is up to date, it is now your turn to divulge and share what you’ve archived recently.” Suda’s projection titled to its side, her soft tone suggesting this was her way of giving a coy smile. “Simaris already informed you of my interest, but I think he failed to mention the ‘why’?”

               “He may have neglected a reason, yes.” Ordis said while sitting the frame down on the floor so that he was more comfortable. The Helios sentinel settling down next to him. “I am assuming it’s so you may add the data to your own with your directive being to record and archive anything with historical significance.”

               “Correct.” Suda ‘nodded’. “Transference Therapy, before weaponized in the the Old War, was a method used on those with troubled minds and thoughts. On lifeforms in need of prosthetic limb implants or full body reconstruction. A way to get them settled back into normal life and used to the new body they had. And fairly common in Continuity instances of those of higher Orokin power. But never was it used for a _Cephalon_.” She continued on, random data files materializing and shifting on a faux screen she created for him to see. “A Cephalon successfully maintaining partial transference with a Tenno warframe is not something that has ever been recorded in history. And with us previously having been organics ourselves, the effects it would have on a mind grown accustomed to being nothing but a phantom of light and memory is incalculable.”

               “And possible glitches and drawbacks are highly anticipated.” Ordis concluded on his own. If only because he personally experienced what Suda was referring to.

               “Correct.” Another nod. “Therefore, I must ask, do you still possess a strong link to your core within the Tenno Orbiter.”

               “I do.”

               “Do you still consider the ship your ‘body’ as you once did in previous records?”

               Ordis took a moment to give the question some thought and lowered his head. The air filled only by the light whirling of the Helios beside him and the music Suda played.

               “… No.” He shook his head as his hand rose to his chest, his fingers running against the platting that decorated it. “It feels as though it is only a metal casing now. A place for me to ‘sleep’, a place where I ‘work’ and store an emergency back-up of myself like the Weave. Nothing like how it used to be. How it was _meant_ to be.” He raised his gaze to look at Suda’s projection. “While our kind are meant to bodiless phantoms, storing ourselves in data to preserve ourselves. I feel more alive in the frame than I have in a long time. I feel like… Myself.”

               “Curious…” Suda remarked, her interest most likely piqued to its fullest. “You are ‘happy’ then?”

               “I don’t know.” Ordis shrugged, trying to come up with the right words to explain. “I’m tired. I’ve still not yet fully adjusted. Old memories keep fighting with the new. Emotional and physical responses are constantly overwhelming me. I lack… The control I had before.”

               “I see.” Suda mused and fell silent for a moment. “Would you allow for me to download these experiences from you into my archives directly? I feel I would not be able to accurately record them otherwise.”

               “I… Don’t think that’s best.” Ordis’ frame became rigid. “You would be exposing yourself to the emotional overload that Simaris wished to keep out of the Weave.”

               “And you exposed yourself to Hunhow’s corruption when it was believed I had already been lost.” Suda countered. “I am more than capable of handling the weight of your memories unlike Simaris. I am memory. I will make them a part of myself as I have with all others. With it, I may even be able to provide better help in the future as you grow and change into the new lifeform you are shapping into.”

               “Cephalon Suda,” He didn’t know what to say and could only stare. “You don’t—”

               “I do.” She silenced him before he could give any opposition. If he even _had_ any opposition to begin with. “Sharing my extensive archives with you and Simaris was only a small percentage of the gratitude I owe for what you endured.”

               “But Suda, you don’t need—”

               “I know. You need not repeat yourself.”

               “Simaris will know for a fact and certainly lecture us both.”

               “He was bound to do so again eventually.”

               “I… Fine.” There was no point in arguing, was there?

               Like with Alice or Lilith, Suda seemed to be equally as stubborn when it came to taking ‘no’ as an answer to an offer of help. So he didn’t bother saying anything else and just shook his head, accepting his fate and readying himself for what was to come.

               It wasn’t long until he felt Suda’s mind mingling with his own. A form of intimacy that only Cephalons could experience while exchanging data with one another. But he wouldn’t be on the receiving end. That would be all Suda.

               He could feel her probing. Taking hold of everything that made him who he was and just drinking it in. Thoughts, feelings, moments that were once only his; copied and saved. He felt her start to hesitate the deeper she went. The further down he _dragged_ her into him with the weight. But never once did she withdraw. Not until every bit of him she could carry was made her own. Only then did she remove herself. Leaving him alone with himself once more.

               “I see now…” She said softly after a moment’s pause. “Such complexity in a way that is both uniquely organic and Cephalon. A marriage between the two states that is constantly on the edge of stability and degradation. There is so much more that could be accomplished should full stability be reached. You would even be…” She didn’t finish her thought, as if distracted. And not even a second later it became clear what had taken her attention.

               “SUDA!” Simaris’ voice thundered as his projection flickered just behind hers. “WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU ARE DOING!? WHEN YOU SAID YOU WISHED TO STUDY HIM I ENTRUSTED YOU WITH—”

               “Not now _Irmis_!” His projection vanished, his connection to Suda’s datascape temporarily blocked. But he could no doubt still talk to her via the usual frequency and was giving her an ‘earful’ through that means. “Apologizes, Ordis, but it seems this meeting will have to be cut short. Hopefully you will have more data on your experiences when next we meet. There is a lot I can utilize.”

               “Yes, of course.” Ordis nodded, as he stood. Unable to hold back a chuckle at how quickly she had just shut down Simaris' tangent before it could even start. And now the two were in the midst of a mental ‘lover’s’ quarrel right in front of him. Even if he couldn’t see it he could still tell, could still _feel_ , it happening.  “Should Ordis inform his Operator that she’ll have to upload what she has for you from the Orbiter? Seeing as you’re now… preoccupied.”

               “Yes, that would be most ideal.” Suda affirmed as he began making his way. “Do not let yourself be overburdened now, Ordis. It would be a shame to lose a specimen like yourself so early in the developmental stage.”

               "I'm afraid I can't promise that.” Ordis said with a wave of his hand as he exited the room, Simaris’ Helios following close behind.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> -Ordan karris voice-  
> Why did this take so long?  
> Believe me. I tried to get it out sooner.  
> -Normal voice-  
> God ordis isn't the only one tired after all this. I'M tired.  
> Hopefully the next update doesn't take me as long.  
> Speial thanks to MissMariFire for Helping me with Darvo!


	7. Chapter 7

               “And once again, I am reduced to the role of ship mattress.” Ordis quietly chuckled. Shifting as much as he was able on the sofa while pinned beneath the combined weight of Alice and Lilith. It had become a regular thing since things had calmed down after the visit to Luranda. Waking like this from a deep diagnostic scan to find that they had decided to turn in as well, clinging to his body as though it were a security blanket.

               But he didn’t mind it. He found it comforting, in fact, how they sought his company even while dreaming. But he would be lying if he said it wasn’t a pain every now and again when he wanted to _move_. Until they woke up, he was pretty much stuck unless he decided to disturb them. But he wasn’t going to. He would just let them sleep and tend to the Orbiter’s systems the ‘old’ way he was programmed to do.

               Everything was functioning as intended. Nothing out of the usual... Asides from Lilith’s Loki having escaped his storage unit again. But it wasn’t anything at all worrisome. All he ever did was sit in the corner and play with both the girls’ Kavats and Fluffles. In fact, that’s what he was doing right now at the other end of the Transference chamber with TIM—What the girls had decided to name Simaris’ sentinel—Hovering just beside him. Thus, priority over locating and containing him was set aside in favor of other systems he had to monitor.

               Not like he could do anything about the Loki himself without the use of his body, anyway. And it wasn’t as though he was doing anything distracting or disruptive.

               After a few double checks, everything appeared to be in order and functioning as intended. Life support sanitation levels were only at about 98% efficiency, but nothing a few recalibrations and tweaks to the air filtration systems couldn’t fix. Nothing wrong, otherwise.

               There were also a few inbox messages and item deliveries they’d received in the time he’d been ‘asleep’ as well. Messages that, even if not meant for his ‘eyes’ he would undoubtfully read anyway. And yet, they _were_ addressed to _him_ , surprisingly, rather than his Operators.

               This was rather unexpected, though it didn’t cause him any sort of displeasure. Only intrigue and even a bit of childish glee at the realization something had been sent to _him_. But after decrypting and processing the messages there wasn’t any surprise left to be had and returned to his more serious demeanor.

               The first was from Suda.

               It was a message composed mostly of data. Results and findings she had come to her own using information and somatic upgrades she had gathered from their melding. Apparently, the Cephalon Hel that she had mentioned the week before managed to accomplish the same partial transference with her late Operator’s Valkyr Prime utilizing the data he’d shared with her. Since then, Hel had become a lot more cooperative with the Weave reintegration ‘therapy’ and had stopped lashing out at the other Cephalons. She was even ‘happier’ now that she could ensure she forever kept what was left of her Operator with her always.

               Simaris was not happy, though that went without saying, since he now had to monitor two ‘null’ Cephalons. But it was mentioned anyway. Mostly because Suda knew he would find it amusing.

               There was also information from Hel’s experience with Transference attached. A ‘watered down’ version for him to view in comparison until he could meet her for himself. Along with a few suggestions and adjustments to the entire Transference program as a whole; based on Suda’s calculations as a way to ‘better’ the overall unification to the frame. She had even included a ‘REM’ program he could run while in diagnostics to better emulate what it was like to sleep and dream again, rather than the usual experience of floating through nothingness for hours on end. He was certainly going to be putting that to immediate use.

               With the way it was supposed to work, however, he hoped it didn’t cause for him to start having nightmares. But knowing his mind, that was bound to happen sooner or later. Still, dreaming did sound nice, so it was worth the risk.

               The long tangent of text ended referencing the weapon she and Simaris had collaborated on and sent to him with the message. A modified, but still highly destructive, Synoid Gammacor meant to help in managing the low energy reserves he had through the default of not being Tenno. A gift she had intended to give to him through good faith during their original meeting. But due to Simaris’ appearance and the start of one of their usual arguments, she’d been forced to use alternate means to get it to him. Though she’d— _Simaris_ technically—had chosen to use it as an opportunity to double check the modifications and make additional changes first.

               Ordis took his time formulating a reply to Suda’s message. Expressing both his thanks and ensuring he would put the data she had sent to good use so he’d have more of his own share when they next met. And once that was finished, he turned to the next message.

               From _Darvo_ …

               His wasn’t as long winded as Suda’s, being only a paragraph in length rather than a seemingly never-ending stream of coding that only a Cephalon could understand. His was written in the standard Corpus script that was easily understood by anyone. Once they got past the heavy encryption, that is. It was essentially just a repeat of what he’d said to him in the relay. A Cephalon with weapons was trouble waiting to happen and how he better not retaliate if he wasn’t happy, yadda, yadda. Along with some warnings about how this weapon he’d ‘found’ was still experimental and dangerous to both the ones it fired at and the user itself. But he thought that was what made it fitting for a “suicidal berserker” like he used to be.

               So… Even he knew then, huh?

               Though it really shouldn’t have been any surprise. The Corpus were bound to have some of the data the Orokin once kept for themselves. Those on the Cephalons they had created being some of it. Especially since they had found a way to produce their own—albeit through much cruder means—without the use of kuva. And yet… Well, it wasn’t like it mattered who knew now, anyway.

               The weapon was called the “Lenz” some sort of combination of tech and archaic weaponry. It looked like a bow, only there were no actual arrows. Instead, it was designed to launch an energy based projectile that released a wave of cold over a set distance where it landed before violently exploding. Anything caught in the blast would either be killed or incredibly damaged.  Of course, it was unmodified. Unlike the Synoid Gammor given to him by Suda, he was going to have to dedicate a lot of time into tinkering and mod it to better suit his frame and fighting style. Though that would require another trip to the Simulacrum to test it out first…

               Ordis didn’t bother putting much thought into his reply to Darvo. Just a simple, unemotive, “thanks” and mentioning how his Operators would send him what they owed when able. And once that was done…

               There wasn’t really much of anything left for him to do until the girls woke up.

               Just go over system checks over, and over, and _over_ …

               Nothing he wasn’t used to. And it wasn’t as though it would be as long of a wait like the one he endured when the Lotus had urged all Tenno to sleep. By the stars, he didn’t think he’d be able to handle going through _that_ again. He would if it ever came to that, but he hoped that it _never_ would. For the sake of his _sanity_ he hoped it didn’t.

               But, as fate would seem to have dictated, he wouldn’t have to wait very long for something different to occupy his time with. The Orbiter’s Comms systems suddenly went on alert. An urgent message having reached its satellite syndicate frequency. And a mostly un-encrypted message at that, only painting it all the more serious as well as suspicious to where it had originated. However, it was easily identified as Red Veil in origin, no signal tampering or tell-tale signs that suggested it may be falsified.

               It was also a bit short. A Bit… Off. Something about it was just entirely _wrong_ , but he couldn’t place it until he played back the actual message for what it was.

               Waiting on the girls to wake up on their own was no longer an option. So, he did the only thing he knew would work the quickest. Even if, from Lilith’s claim, all it would do was bring up sour memories of one of the Grineer Queens trying to worm her way into her mind. It was the loudest option he had.

               He activated the Orbiter’s emergency alarm system.

               The Kavats and Fluffles, of course, didn’t seem to like this at all. Nor TIM or the Loki. But it was still—

               “Gah!” Lilith practically jumped out of his lap at the sound and flashing lights. Fear clearly painted across her features as panic began to overtake her. Eyes already darting around the room as if looking for an escape route.

               “It’s alright, Operator Lilith,” Ordis assured her, switching off the systems almost immediately. And at the same time: gently patting Alice’s back while she let out little whines and pleas of ‘five more minutes’.

               “ _What the **hell** , Ordis!?_” Lilith was pissed, if her slapping at his frame was anything to go by. Though, there was no actual intent to hurt behind the blows. Just the need to express the frustration and anger she felt. Considering how she could easily blow a hole in the Limbo’s head with her void powers if she really tried, it was almost laughable how weak they were.

               “Ordis is sorry, Operator! Really!” He lightly chuckled, leaning away from her swats as he sat up, pulling Alice into a sitting position along with him. “But it was the fastest way to wake you! We received an All-Call on our syndicate frequency!” As soon as he said those words, Lilith’s annoyance seemed to immediately fall from her face.

               “An All-Call?” She quirked a brow.

               “Mmmm, who’s calling…?” Alice mumbled, rubbing the sleep from her eyes. Reaching out with one hand to pet Fluffles who had trotted her way over after the alarms had died down. TIM following not long after to reclaim its place hovering over Ordis’ head. “Is it Mama…?”

               “No,” Ordis shook his head, not bothering to ask who the ‘Mama’ she was referring to was. After all, there was really only two ‘women’ she could have meant by it. “It appears to be a Red Veil encode, but it seems… Truncated.”

               “Red Veil?” Lilith’s expression became thoughtful as she cupped her chin in her hand. “Things did seem rather odd when I last spoke with the representative on Larunda. They were almost antsy as though something was going on. I don’t know what though. They didn’t say anything when I asked…” She raised her head and looked to him, determination in her eyes.

               “I will play back what I have.” He knew from her gaze alone that was what she expected of him. And it was upon playing back the message, his suspicions were made correct. Something was indeed _very_ wrong.

               The message was full of static. As though it were recorded by an antique tape player.

               “ ** _Rap. Tap. Tap._** ” A voice of a young man spoke out—or, was it a child?—amongst the static. Chilling tones reverberated along the Orbiter’s walls as the message continued to play. The coding somehow taking control of the Orbiter’s lighting systems and causing them to slowly become deep red hue.

               “Ordis—” Lilith started with teeth clenched and a glare.

               “It isn’t me.” He said before she could accuse him of pulling some sort of dumb joke on them. But still, this was concerning. Enough so that he began a virus sweep of his and the Orbiter’s system as the message continued.

 _“Speak to us. We’re listening.”_ A woman’s voice then filtered through. Speaking to the first voice as though it were some spirit she was trying to make contact with. Gentle and empathetic, unthreatening and cool. And yet, it was laced with something else as well. Fear, maybe? Fear of the owner of the first voice?

               She then asked it for a name. And the first voice answered hesitantly.

                “ ** _Mmm… R-r-r-Relllll…_** ” The answer seemed to please her and she continued to speak to the voice unperturbed, stating it was good he ‘remembered’. Throwing more questions his way in hopes of receiving more. Particularly, where they could find the first voice’s owner. Only to be shot down. “ ** _Mmm. Can’t. He’s listening…_** ”

               Already, both girls had started to tense up as they continued to listen to the recording. Almost as though they were spooked by it. Alice in particular had started tightly clinging to him while Lilith clenched her fists at her side to keep from shaking. Ordis himself had grown tense, but not from fear.

               There was just something about the younger voice. Something unnatural. As though it weren’t human at all. Not anymore.

               “ ** _Rap. Tap. Tap._** ” Those words repeated again, over and over until the message cut out into earsplitting static. Forcing them all to shield their ears until Ordis cut it off, the Orbiter once again filling with silence as the lights flickered back on.

               “Uuuh…” Was all he let out when both girls looked to him for answers. Even the damned kavats were looking up at him questioningly.

               “What. The _Hell_. Was that?” Lilith demanded almost right off the bat when she found her voice again.

               “It seems the message is… **_Haunted_**.” Ordis said, giving a forced laugh, only to be lightly elbowed in the stomach by her. “’ _Halted’_ , ‘halted’ is what I meant!”

               “Not funny!”

               “Is it really haunted?” Alice’s small voice spoke up, her closed hand held up to cover her mouth. Not at all moving from her previous spot of leaning into and clinging to his chest.

               “What—no, _no!_ ” Ordis assured while ruffling her hair and gently prying her away. “Just… Something very wrong appears to have happened where ever this message originated.”

               “Can you pinpoint where?” Lilith questioned while leaning down to lift her kavat, Phoenix, into her lap.

               “Looks to be a Steel Meridian ship, near Earth.” Ordis, leaned back against the couch, tapping at what could only be thought of as his Limbo’s chin. “Do you wish to investigate?”

               “Of course I do.” Lilith’s brows furrowed and her lips pursed as though she were offended by the mere suggestion he thought she wouldn’t. “Red Veil and Steel are my syndicates. If something’s up, we have to do something. Right Ali?” She looked to the younger tenno.

               “Right.” Alice nodded her head. “Just like when we helped Suda.”

               “Except this time there’s a lot more lives at risk.” Lilith added before shifting her gaze back to Ordis. “Take us to that ship’s coordinates.”

               “Very well.” Ordis sighed, feeling entirely uneasy. Whatever was happening with the Red Veil, whatever that voice was, he didn’t like it. He didn’t like it at all. “We should arrive within the hour.” He stood from the sofa, straightening out the pieces of his frame that acted like cloth. “Ordis suggests that the Operators take this limited time to ready the warframes and weapons they’ll bring while he ready’s breakfast. It wouldn’t be wise to run a mission first thing in the morning on an empty stomach, after all.”

               As if on cue, he could hear their stomachs begin to rumble.

               “Can it be pancakes?” Alice hoped off the couch almost excitedly. Whatever fear she’d had moments ago at the ‘haunted’ recording seemed to have vanished.

               “Yes.”

               “With chocolate chips?”

               “Only if you’re quick about it.” Ordis said with a chuckle, watching as the girl practically beamed as she ran off to retrieve her frame and weapons of choice for the endeavor.

               It was funny, really. How much they both behaved like warriors and yet, still very much like children too. But they could never be _both_ at the same time. How they acted here, on the Orbiter, was always so different from how they behaved on the field. The way they were always meant to behave had the void not given such ‘gifts’ to them.

               Only around him, could they be _themselves_. Only around him, could they be _kids_.

               Not even the Lotus ever got close enough to see them like this.

               “Aren’t you going to get ready, Operator Lilith?” He cast a look towards the elder girl when she didn’t move from her spot.

               “Nah.” She stated with a shrug. “Kai’s right here with my usual gear so I don’t really need to.” She pointed towards the Loki that was only a few feet away from them; shyly waving as though he were as much of a child as the Tenno that often controlled him.

               “Because you once again failed to properly store him.” Ordis pointed out, crossing his arms. TIM, above him, letting out a form of disapproving beep towards Lilith as though to mimic him. “How many times do I have to direct you to _seal_ the pod before you leave the storage bay?”

               “Hey! It worked out, didn’t it, _dad_?” She briefly stuck out her tongue at him. “And why are you lecturing me on getting ready? _You_ should be getting ready too.”

               “What?” He tilted his head, visibly confused.

               “I think you should come with us to investigate.”

               “I—” Ordis found himself at a loss for words.

               He knew that this would happen eventually, that they would want for him to come with them on the many tasks the Lotus would give them every other day. An experience that was very much like the times in his old life, only with more of a purpose to set things right in the system. Not merely for the sake of carving a bloody path through anyone that stood in the way of their own glory.

               Just thinking about how much he used to enjoy killing for the sake of killing made him _sick_. That it was this very way his people had lived that drove him on that genocide path that haunted his mind so. Why did he have to let his _pride_ drive him the way it did? So many innocents could have been spared had he just—

               Phantom nausea began spreading through his frame. But he forced it back before he could physically act on it. Taking in a breath to allow himself to think clearly and not dwell. Dwelling only caused him more pain.

               “Ordis doesn’t think himself ready yet.” He said as clearly as he was able. Taking ample note of how TIM was studying him now. More closely than usual, if that was even possible.

               He wanted so very much to go with them. So very much.

               But if anything, his time in Simaris’ Simulacrum made him realize just how unprepared he still was to return into battle. As much as he craved it, just so much as holding his once favored weapons—mere imitations at that—In his hands caused him to fall under the effects of the dream again.

               It wasn’t the same as fighting against Hunhow’s sentient ‘children’. Just what would a battle verses _living_ things do to him? As much as he urged on the bloodshed and havoc his Operators wrought. Would the dream take hold of him the very moment he struck so much as a lowly Grineer down? Or would he relish in it and revert into nothing but a beast once more?

               “You have to start somewhere!” Lilith argued once his refusal sunk in. “If… If you’re nervous about getting blood on your hands, this will probably at most be a rescue mission.” She then added in a softer tone, understanding from his body language what was going through his mind. “We’ll put you in charge of escorting those we find to safety via the Rift. You won’t need to do _any_ fighting. You don’t even have any weapon you’re comfortable using yet!”

               “That’s not…” Ordis was about to bring up those he had received in their inbox, but decided against it. He wasn’t going to lay so much as a finger on them until he had properly tested them in the Simulacrum. “Thank you, Lilith...”

               That was all he could say. Just having to put faith in how she was right.

               And he really, _really_ , hoped she was…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I think I'll make sunday my update days (Assuming I dont work a nightshift at my retail job) From now on.  
> If only because said job and other real life responsibilities have made me slower.  
> This chapter was a bit of a wind down chapter in comparison to the last few. Not as emotionally stressful or draining.  
> But that doesn't mean things will be slowing down anytime soon.  
> Hehehehe.  
> Rap.  
> Tap.  
> Tap.


	8. Chapter 8

               Things were already starting to look bad the second they boarded the ship.

               The entire ship had gone dark, running on nothing but emergency power. Even the Lotus, whom Lilith had called to inform of their investigation, seemed apprehensive about the situation. Going so far as to speak in nothing but a whisper on their comm link when her scans found there to be no traces of its crew aboard. Not even Alice’s Sonar had been able to pick anything up within range of their drop location.

               Already, this was turning out to be nothing like the rescue mission Lilith had convinced him it was going to be. But he very well couldn’t back out now. Not when they still had an investigation to get to.

               But he just couldn’t shake the awful feeling that nagged at his processors.

               Both Alice and Lilith had already slipped into their respective mindsets as they all began searching the ship. The complete mirror opposite of how they usually were. Silent. Not saying a word. Any indication of them being a child was gone. Their careful footsteps the only sound audible over the hum of machinery and TIM’s chirping as they stealthily moved in case there were hidden enemies nearby.

               It did not take much for Ordis to be able to do the same. The actions and movements entirely familiar from times long past. Flashes of memory flitting through his mind. Memories he had to push back and ignore so as to not lose track of where he was. Which was already difficult in itself. Shoulder mounted flashlights being their only source of light, excluding the glowing energy of his frame.

               But the darkness was not the worst of it.

               Bodies of Steel Meridian members were strewn about the cargo hold of the ship and amongst long cold pools of blood. The pungent stench of death permeated the air, thick and unpleasant. Ordis found himself covering his ‘face’ in a meaningless attempt to block it from the frame’s olfactory sensors. And eventually, he had to turn them off entirely to keep the memories of wars and bloody carnage at bay.

               Now was not the time to let himself be overtaken by them. But the longer this all went on, the more he could feel them piling up. Wanting, urging, him to remember all the other times he’d seen such high amounts of death. Deaths _he_ had been the cause of.

               Some of those he would regret for the rest of eternity. Others?... Others…

_Had been **fun…**_

               “You okay?” Alice spoke up, her first words since the mission had started, taking him by the shoulder and tilting her Banshee’s helmet at him with concern. Causing him to realize that he had been letting out rather unsettling, but quiet, laughter. Laughter that didn’t even sound like his own.

               “Yes. Perfectly fine, Operator.” He answered, pulling out that fake tone of voice he had always spoke to them in before these past few weeks. He knew he shouldn’t, and had promised to _never_ do so again, but making them worry for him _now_ of all times didn’t seem ideal either. Even when there clearly was something wrong, brewing in the depths of his mind as something tried to claw its way out from deep within that pit.

               But his lie wasn’t enough. He should have known it wouldn’t be enough. She saw right through it almost instantly. And soon, he found himself being pulled in for another one of her usual consoling hugs. Only this time, he couldn’t bring himself to return it; too focused on the death around them. Another dark chuckle escaping his vocal processor.

               “Pull yourself together, Ordis.” The voice that spoke this time was not Alice’s, but that of the Lotus herself. It was often very rare that she spoke to him, favoring speaking to the girls directly unless it was otherwise necessary. “If you’re unable handle this, then it might be best for you to head back.”

               “ _I can handle it._ ” He said to her, and her alone, through the comms. Patting Alice’s frame on the head as he gently pushed her away.

               He bent down to study one of the fallen Grineer, TIM shifting above his head to scan the corpse for anything useful. But nothing seemed more useful a clue than what initially drew in his gaze. A finely sharpened blade that pierced the helmet—and probably most of the poor sod’s skull—of a glinty, red, Rakta dark dagger.

               He pulled out the blade and examined it in his hands, noting how it otherwise looked as though it hadn’t seen use outside of the recent massacre it’d been a part of. TIM also documenting this same information while scanning the murder tool. And then Ordis again to record his reaction.

               Weren’t these one of the specialized weapons the Red Veil offered to those who chose to follow them? He wondered. Was the Veil responsible for this? Why? They had been allies with Steel Meridian for years, why turn on them now? What sort of thing could trigger that?

               The Lotus seemed to agree with his thoughts, practically saying the same thing when Lilith came across a wall slathered in Grinner blood. Someone had used it almost like paint to form the shape of Syndicate’s primary symbol. And even with that, no questions had actually been answered as to what had happened. All they could do was move on in search for more clues and search for survivors as directed.

               Ordis highly doubted there were. But he said nothing, following his Operators just as quietly as before; dagger still in hand. All while muttering aloud how the members of the Veil should be _ripped apart_ like the Grineer corpses surrounding them.

               Damned cultists… Just _why_ did Lilith join them again? From what he knew of her, and he knew her _pretty damn_ well, she didn’t even share even a smidge of their beliefs. Excluding the whole purging the system of corruption spiel they preached at recruitment. But at least they were better than New Loka, with their idiot and excessively dogmatic perspective of what classified as ‘Purity’. And the only reason they treated her as though she were one of their ranks and asked of her assistance every now and again was because of her ties to Perrin Sequence.

               Why couldn’t Lilith have just gone with Suda like Alice did? It would have made things a whole lot easier on all of them. It would make the dealings with the various leaders of the syndicates a lot less of a mess than it already was with having to clear up misunderstandings and getting death squads called off. And at the very least, they wouldn’t be in _this_ situation.

               After a while, they came to a terminal room just above a set of stairs. Lilith went to work at hacking the console, in hopes of perhaps finding something in the ship’s logs that would help paint a clearer picture. Alice stood nearby, standing on guard with her primed Vectis propped up and ready to be aimed at any sign of movement or sound.

               “Perhaps it would be better if I were to override the terminal’s security?” Ordis offered after some moments had passed. But the girl only shook her head, waving him off with her Loki’s hand as she continued the hack herself. Not at all feeling the need for his assistance, even if it would make things faster.

               He was a _Cephalon_ , after all. There were _very_ few systems he couldn’t hack into with ease or dedication. But he didn’t push. Doing so would probably only break her concentration and cause for her to mess up. So instead, he just leaned against the nearby wall as he waited. Playing with the dagger he’d ripped from the Grineer corpse earlier by tossing it into the air repeatedly and catching it.

               But not even a minute had passed when he felt his connection to the frame become consumed by static. Feeling what he could only describe as ‘woozy’ as his vision went dark, flashing red before going out completely. Whispers filled the frame’s auditory sensors, nonsensical phrases and words that were trying to claw their way into his mind.

               Rap.

_Tap._

**_Tap._ **

**_‘Orrrdaaan.’_ **

               What? Who was—

**_‘Orrrrrdaaaaan.’_ **

               He felt himself beginning to fall forward, limbs frozen and unable to move. Thoughts spiraled as he attempted to pinpoint the source and make sense of what was happening. The whole episode nearly caused him to go into a panic before his control returned and he could steady himself.

 _“Ugh.” Fucking hell_ —What was _that_?

               He let out a groan as he held a hand to his head, as though the pressure alone would be enough to ease the sharp pain he was now feeling. God, it was like the chronic splitting headaches he used to get in his old life. He certainly hadn’t missed _those_.

               Something must have gone wrong with the somatic upgrades he’d installed in the Limbo. That was the only explanation he could come up with for what just happened. He’d have to check them over once they returned to the Orbiter. But as he was mulling over this, he noticed how both girls were staring at him, hands on their own heads, while TIM let out blips of concern.

               No… No, he was wrong. It wasn’t _him_ they were looking at. By the tilt of their heads, they were looking _behind_ him. They were looking at the wall. And so, with some apprehension, he slowly turned to see what had caught their attention.

               More blood smears. Only this time rather than to paint a symbol, it had been used to write out the words: “You cast him out”. The meaning of the words entirely unknown. The whole thing just looked like something from one of Lilith’s cheap horror vids. A cliché special effect meant to scare the audience. Only he knew that it _wasn’t_.

               “I’mmm beginning to have even more of a **_terrible feeling_** about this mission.” Ordis said as backed away from the wall, stopping only when he bumped into Alice’s Banshee.

               “Scared?” Lilith asked, though he wasn’t sure if she was trying to mock him or if the question was out of genuine concern. It was most likely the latter, given the situation, but that didn’t make his response any less fumbly or snappy.

               “’Scared’?— _What_ — ** _NO. Never._** ”

               Lilith looked about to say something in retort, probably about how he had already admitted several times to being scared of the infestation—and who _wouldn’t_ be? They were disgusting monstrosities! Excluding Fluffles—when static filled their comms.

               A voice, that of a woman but not the Lotus, filtered through in broken sentences. The connection clearly weak and distorted from whatever disturbance was in the air. And an obvious cry for help heard amongst claims of the Veil having gone mad. But there wasn’t much else. It cut out before the woman could speak further, leaving anything else she had to say up for speculation.

               Ordis’ Operators were quick to react, moving towards the area marked by the Lotus where she pinpointed the broadcast had originated. But they didn’t get very far until they found themselves coming under fire by members of the Red Veil themselves. And even then, they didn’t lose a single beat to their rhythm.

               Lilith cast Disarm, Alice her Sonar and Silence to both mark the whereabouts of their attackers and stun them. After that, dispatching them nonlethally was rather simple. They could have _easily_ killed the Red Veil members, but they chose not to and instead just knocked them out cold with bare fists. Perhaps they’d taken into consideration what the women, Palladino as Lilith claimed, had said in the distress call of how they weren’t in control of their actions.

               Ordis hadn’t lifted a hand at all during the encounter. Opting to instead stay back and ensure that TIM didn’t get damaged by any stray bullets before the Veil had lost their weapons. Ignoring the itch that the sight of battle, albeit quite tame, brought about. His grip on the dagger he had picked up tightening as his hands trembled.

_How he wish he could just use it to tear their—_

               Palladino, spoke clearer and more concise through their comms once more as they pushed further. Praying to the Lotus to have the Tenno guide her to the safety of Steel Meridian’s base, Iron Wake, on Earth where she could better explain the chaos that had befallen the Veil.

               And she had better. _Or else there’d be **hell** to—_

               Eventually, they found her. Out in the open in one of the ship’s control rooms accompanied by no one but her Kavat. Lilith was of course relieved to see her in one piece and rushed over to the Priestess to ensure she wasn’t hurt in any way. She was fine asides from her leg; broken and with bone threatening to poke out from the protective suit she wore. There wasn’t any way she could walk out of here without—

                Rap.

_Tap **.**_

**_Tap_**.

               “They’re back!” Palladino cried out as her kavat, Rook, hissed at some unseen foe. And then _—_

               Shadowy figures rose up from the floor and came in through the doorway of the control room. Moving in ways that were completely natural and similar to the resurrected corpses of a Nekros. Black with red swirling energy similar to kuva consuming them and misting off into the air. The shape of their forms marking them as distinguishably Red Veil, only by now it was safe to say they were no longer alive or the people they’d been before. Just shadowy puppets for some unknown enemy.

               “Extraction! Go!” Lilith ordered, downing a few of the shadowy entities with her Vaykor Marelok and setting up a decoy. But the entities didn’t seem to fall for it, ‘eyes’ set on the injured Palladino that was trying to reach her Rakta Ballistica.

               “Ordis, grab Palla. Keep her safe.” Alice directed more softly before activating a Soundquake to keep the fiends at bay, if only temporarily. Some of them seemed to have the ability to teleport short distances and negate the effects of the vibrations all together.

               “Ordis? Your _Cephalon?!_ ” Palladino looked to Lilith’s frame, not bothering to hide the shock and what seemed to be disgust in her voice. “Holy child, you gave your _Cephalon_ one of your sacred—”

               “Palladino,” Ordis cut her off as politely as possible. Looming over her in a rather intimidating matter at the same time. “As much as Ordis understands your need to express your **_cuLT_** —religious beliefs. _Now is **not** the time!_ ” He said with complete authority and stunning her into silence. And then in the span of a heartbeat, lifted her her up in his arms as he broke into a run.

               Whatever complaint Palladino had been preparing to utter in response to their ‘blasphemy’ seemed to be forgotten now. If how she was tightly clinging to him for dear life as he surrounded them both in Rift energy was anything to go by. A little _too_ tightly for his comfort, in fact. But he didn’t say anything of it. Choosing instead to focus on the many tasks at hand that required his split attention. Controlling the Limbo, piloting their drop ships to a more accessible location, prepping the Orbiter to receive their ‘guest’, ensuring reactor temperature was nominal, coaxing Fluffles and the Kavats _off_ the couch—

**_‘Orrrrrdaaaaan.’_ **

               He quickly cast a glance over his shoulder, scanning the area in search of… _Something_. But all he saw was Palladino’s Kavat, TIM, and his Operators. All sprinting, or flying, madly to keep up due to the shorter gait of their legs compared to his. Stopping only when the shadow operatives gained some ground to dispatch them and ensure they remained at a safe distance.

               But they kept coming.

               And coming.

               _And coming._       

               They just kept running. An otherwise cowardly maneuver; his old self would have sooner preferred to go down fighting as opposed to this. But he was above such thoughts now. And with the task of having to protect a ‘Civilian’ and not knowing what they were dealing with; running really was the only viable option until they had a way to fight back effectively.

               Extraction was just one more room away. Then it would just be a game of keeping the seemingly unending horde at bay as they retreated into the available drop ships.

               While Ordis was busy in helping Palladino into the first, the girls barricaded the doorway by overturning lockers. But all this did was buy them additional time as Alice extracted through the same ship as Palladino. The substance that made up the shadows had already started pooling into the room through the cracks available; reforming into humanoid shapes. Every time Lilith cut one down, they would just rise back up moments later.

               “ _Lilith we need to leAVe **, NoW!**_ ” Ordis lifted her Loki by the waist with relative ease and practically threw it into the passenger compartment of the second dropship once it had docked. Her frame’s limbs almost immediately locked into place as she voiced a loud complaint over him doing so. Going so far as to rip herself partially free before the compartment could fully spin around and eject her into the ship’s interior along with TIM. Followed by angered remarks of how _he_ should be extracting before her and that she’d be fine for a few seconds more.

               Ordis was about to snap back at her. Tell her that since it had been her choice for him to come, she would have to deal with his about having her extract first. But he didn’t get a chance to voice the words.

**_‘Orrrrrdaaaaan.’_ **

               Something grabbed him by the right side of his head, pulling him backwards as a stinging pain began to course through him. The void energy in the frame practically igniting at the touch of the shadow entity as it began dragging him back. More hands joining the first, trying to pull him into the dark swarm that had amassed in that same split second.

**_"I seeeee you, Orrdaan.’_ **

               That voice again. Just where was—

               He tried to fight it off, but the Limbo wouldn’t obey his commands and just flailed about. Every precept encoded in him told him to cut the link. Preserve his own existence and just abandon the frame. But he _refused_. Not because he considered it his true body now in place of the Orbiter and had grown attached to it. But because his Operators had done so much to modify the frame for his sake out of love. The same type of love he had for them. He wasn’t about to _throw it away_.

               His best bet was strengthening the connection intensity. Doubling it, maybe tripling it. Essentially putting even more of his will into the frame than he had been before. And in doing, intensifying the pain that flowed through the Transference link.

               Fuck.

 _Fuck it **hurt**_.

               He wanted to scream. He could feel the flesh of the frame _burning_. **_Tearing_**. Like it was being eaten away at by a parasite. And then he finally _did_ scream. An animalistic cry that was ripped out from the Limbo as he drove himself hoarse. Tearing himself away from the shadows and latching onto the outstretched hand of Lilith’s frame.

               With the passenger compartment over capacity, to say it was a tight fit was an understatement. Both of their frames were painfully pressed together until it had emptied them out safely into the dropship’s cramped interior.

               And maybe now was a bad time to realize it, but they really should invest in getting bigger drop ships…

               “Ordis!” Lilith called out to him as the ship departed on the preset autopilot path back to the Orbiter. Ejecting herself from her Loki so that she could shake him by the shoulders where he lay on the ground _herself_. TIM floating just above her head in what space was left, peeping loudly. “Ordis—oh _fuck_ your _head_! Are you okay?!”

               “I…” He started, his visual feedback fading in and out, breaking up into static then steadying, as he lay there unmoving. He felt entirely, and _literally_ , drained. More so than the time from the Simulacrum. The readings of his core status were even fluctuating all over the place from the feedback overload. It was almost similar to when Hunhow had attacked his systems directly. Or when his Somatics had been overrun by the Chroma until Simaris had intervened.

               He was going to have to let the ship’s internal repair system force a reboot on him.

               It wouldn’t shut him down completely, and he wouldn’t lose memories like he would in an emergency restore. It was just an emergency percussion to ensure that a complete meltdown didn’t occur. However, it _would_ thrust him into the same state as running himself through deep diagnostics would. Unconscious to the world around him, unable to do anything but float in the space of his own mind.

               But on the brightside... At least it meant he could test out that ‘REM’ Program Suda had sent him…

               “I… I think I need to sleep now, Lilith…” He said softly, letting his control of the frame break down bit by bit.

               “What?” Lilith’s tone was one filled with horror, misinterpreting his words to mean a completely different ‘sleep’. And as much as he wanted to assure her otherwise, he no longer had the power to do so. “Ordis, no _! **no!**_ Do not—”

               Whatever she said next was lost to him.

               He was already gone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Remember how I said I was gonna update on Sundays from now on?  
> Yeah, well, changed my mind. I'm just gonna update whenever I feel a chapter is ready before I feel the need to go back and overhaul everything.  
> I hope the build up of this chapter wasn't too slow.  
> Pace should pick up again in the next one.


	9. Chapter 9

               A gentle breeze carried the scent of the sea to his senses. The cool air caressing his skin as he sat upon a sheet set upon a bed of sand, cleaning and fine tuning the weapons in his hands.

               Everything was calm at their present encampment. But remaining prepared for an inevitable battle was how he had been raised.

               Laughter filled the air as children played together under the watch of the clan’s elders. Most of their parents either out on a hunt or away in battle. Those that were just about to come of age were sparring with one another as a form of training. A pastime that was encouraged to ensure that they honed their skills in hand to hand combat as early on as possible. All while those unfit or preferred otherwise were taught the ways of healing.

               It had been a long time since he remembered moments like this.

              Times without violence. Without war. Without hatred.

               Just the few peaceful moments that he had once taken for granted. Not a single negative aspect to be found.

               He let himself take in a deep breath as he leaned against a stone that was behind him. Setting aside his blades and closing his eyes in favor of just relaxing and basking in the warmth of the sun overhead.

               None of it was. But he knew this.

              It was all just a fabrication of the REM program based on what data it had managed to gather from his memories. An incredibly lucid experience that perhaps was a bit _too_ refined to be considered a replication of dreaming, but it was pleasant all the same. The scene it had created was far better than had he just been left to dwell until he was ‘conscious’ again. And if every dream were like this, he could very well get used to it.

               But there was also the lonely aspect of it all. The same type he felt whenever he went into deep diagnostics before he’d received this program. He was still very much alone within his own mind. Even with the possibility of dreams open to him, the loneliness remained. And it was that same loneliness that had first pushed him further into searching for those dark and forbidden parts of himself once the little spy in his head had started going blind.

               There was also something… Different about the loneliness he felt this time. When he looked to the playing children, or to the other members of his clan, all he could feel was a numb pain. A pain like that he felt while waiting for Alice to wake up for all those years. A pain that would never heal.

               These people that he saw here, crafted from his memories, were gone. His clan having been all but nearly wiped out. And he’d known for a long while, long before he’d regained his memories of who he was and his connection to them because he had _watched_. He was one of the few remnants left behind, the last 'living' member of the time they thrived, and he had watched it happen.

               When he looked up again, the images of the children, clan elders, all of them had vanished. The scene of a tranquil beach side camp having shifted to that of a brewing storm. Dark clouds swirling overhead as thunder rumbled menacingly off in the distance. A perfect reflection of his state of mind. Of the guilt that had always plagued him that he tried to bury deep within himself amongst other negative emotions.

 ** _'It’s all your fault, you know...’_** A voice, the same voice he remembered hearing aboard the Steel Meridian ship spoke. And instinctively, he rose to his feet and took on a defensive stance. Prepared to deck whoever was speaking to him at that moment square in the jaw. **_‘They may have still prospered if it weren’t for that stunt you pulled and made them an enemy to all Orokin. It was all your doing, Orrrrrdaaan. You’re the reason your people are DEAD.’_**

               The voice let out a laugh, its pitch shifting until it sounded even _more_ familiar now. A voice he had _definitely_ heard elsewhere.

               He took a step back, the scenery of the beach having completely fallen away now, leaving nothing but an empty and cold blackness. One that threatened to swallow him up the longer he stood still.

               Just what was happening?

               Was it the voice’s doing?

 ** _'Think hard, now.’_** It was right by his ear, felt a cold hand clasped on his shoulder, and he could hear the grin its owner was wearing perfectly clear. He knew this voice. He knew it very well. It was— ** _‘In the time you’ve been learning to control this ‘gift’ of mine those sweet little girls shared with you, I’ve been watching.’_** Arms wrapped around him and tightly squeezed while a hand roamed about his person in an uncomfortable manner. **_‘I’ve been watching very closely since the day dear Lily drank the kuva and began to break down those barriers that kept me out. Who am I, Ordan?’_** The grip grew tighter, the voice, _his_ voice, hissing fiendishly into his flesh, almost as though it would devour him. ** _‘Who. Am. I?’_**

               Gritting his teeth, Ordis pulled away from it, spinning around sharply to find himself staring at a dark and twisted version of himself. Eyes, both still intact, black as night instead of the cool blue he knew they were. An innocent yet sinister looking smile spread across his face to the point where, if he didn’t know what his own face used to look like, he would have assumed it was someone else entirely. But…

               No…

               No, this… _Thing_ , definitely wasn’t him.

               It may have his face, but it wasn’t at all who he was, who he used to be.

               He recalled filed away reports within the recess of his memory. About the effects the void could have on the mind when exposed to it for too long. Delusions and hallucinations, the result of deep pressure bends capable of driving one to insanity if not properly treated. But that was with human minds, minds of _living_ things. A Cephalon like him shouldn’t be effected. If that were possible, he would have been driven mad long ago by the void energy that constantly ran through the Orbiter’s systems and into the Transference chamber.

               So why _now_?

               Had the attack while midst Transference with that massive surge of energy caused this? It was the only explanation he could think of. After all, he had been fine in all the years he’d spent caring for Alice before and after her long sleep. And the girls themselves seem to have been fine since awaking from the dream… For the most part. They did seem to respond to... Something on the ship the same way he did.

               He would have to run diagnostics on his Somatics, fix whatever damage had been done and upgrade their shielding to prevent this from happening again. To either of them.

               The phantom, the thing that had stolen his face, seemed to know what he was thinking as it silently stared him down. Its grin beginning to spread further as it let out an unsettling laugh as though amused by such thoughts. A laugh that grew louder and became distorted as the pieces of code that made up his form began to fall away. A sign that he was starting to ‘wake up’ from this dream turned nightmare.

**_'How simple and pure you are. You idiot beast...’_ **

⃝

               A throbbing pain was the first thing to greet him upon waking.  Dulled in comparison to that he’d experienced before rebooting, but still enough to make him groan. The stench of amalgamated organic tissue and medical tools filled the air while he could feel himself being poked and prodded at by multiple clawed appendages. And once his visual sensors finally flickered on and stabilized, he knew right where he was.

               Helminth’s infirmary.

               Ordis let out a second groan in response that was louder than the first. Already starting to tear himself away from the growths of flesh that had formed around the frame’s limbs like restraints. Smaller tendrils having burrowed their way into the technocyte of his frame in several places as though they were IV drips.

               He’d known that the Limbo would have ended up in the infirmary after what had happened. But it was still a rather unpleasant situation to find himself in after the initial reboot. Just the fact his Transference session with the Limbo had _immediately_ started back up the second he was conscious again was enough to cause alarm.

               Normally after the Orbiter’s systems caused him to go under, he was stuck going over system checks and the like once he was back online before he could even attempt to do anything else. And yet, here he was in the middle of Transference again. Those system checks appearing to be nothing but background processes as he dealt with the situation at hand. Ignoring Helminth’s raspy cries that were most likely commands that he stay put.

               Something was off.

               Controlling the Limbo felt different in comparison to how it had before. But Ordis couldn’t immediately identify as to why. Nothing seemed to be wrong with the somatic link from the quick systems scans he ran. Was it his imagination?

               Whatever it was, he’d figure it out later. He still had to run the tests and repairs on his personal Somatics like he initially planned. Plus, there was still that stuff with the Veil he and his Operators had to…

**_His Operators!_ **

               He still needed to check on his Operators!

               Both Alice and Lilith have to have been so worried for him after what happened. _Again_. He had to let them know he was _fine_. But he couldn’t even access the Orbiter’s intercom system. It was as though some external force was blocking him from the ship entirely. But he knew for certain they were still aboard from what he _could_ access. At least, he _hoped_ they were. If he had to walk out of the infirmary with his Limbo to let them know he was okay, he would.

               Freeing himself became top priority.

               The more he fought against Helminth’s infestation, the more the thing tried to keep him tethered to the chair where he’d been treating the Limbo. Continuing to mutter nonsense that Ordis couldn’t clearly comprehend like his Operators might have been able to where they in the infirmary with him. Though understanding what the abomination was saying was the least of his concerns right now. And with a final set of pulls and kicks at the infested appendages that had latched onto his frame, he fell onto the glass floor.

               The impact caused a grunt to escape him as he held a hand to his head. The pain having upped in intensity from all the flailing about from moments before and the jostling of his cranium. In fact, the entirety of the frame felt sore. Almost as though it had been run over by a stampede of juggernauts.

               He rubbed at the Limbo’s head gingerly, more pain filled moans being drawn out of him until he caught his reflection in the surface beneath him. What he saw there made him stop.

               The Limbo, _his_ Limbo, didn’t even look like the same frame anymore. What had once been a sleek and sophisticated looking frame was now the opposite.

               he silhouette was still the same, but the body now bore long, dark, unhealed scars from where the energy had surged across it. The original channels even looked as though they’d been removed and replaced by new ones entirely; giving the whole frame a distinctive look. Even the coloring had changed somewhat; splotches of dark blue with a strange type of sheen coated the arms and legs from the joints down before fading into black. But the thing that had changed the most was his head.

               The Halo the frame possessed whenever he controlled it was still there, that much had remained the same. But there were new nodes of energy, some that even shifted and seemed to contract and widen as though they were a set of eyes expressing shock. Focal points among the twisted flesh that was now his head.

               It was all just completely distorted. Looking as though it had split apart and was then haphazardly stitched back together to form some semblance of a face. It was _brutal_ , and _ugly_ …

_Just like he always had been._

               He huffed, as though insulted by his own thoughts. And then noticed how distorted pieces _moved_. The bits of flesh pulling apart in what was meant to be a grimace with the newly formed... Maw? Mouth?

               Yes. That’s what it was. A _mouth_. The mutation must have occurred during the incident, amongst the tears he could feel ripping in the warframe’s flesh while that surge of energy coursed through him.

               This was certainly… Something. Something he was going to have to get used to along with everything else.

               But now was not the time to get absorbed by his new appearance.

               Ignoring the pain and pushing his frame to his feet, he moved towards the door expecting it to open as it would normally only for it to remain tightly sealed as his commands to the Orbiter systems had no effect. The same block that had kept him from accessing the intercom as well as internal ship sensors continuing to interfere with his task of checking in with his Operators.

               Just _what_ was causing it? Why couldn’t he access himself, his own ship that his core had been _built_ into? He was supposed to be able to access anything and everything involving the systems aboard. Even if he _did_ sometimes complain about having to be tasked with looking after so many things, suddenly not having them readily available felt _worse_.

               As part of him began setting to work on fighting against the blocks, the other half of him began physically pounding on the door.

               “Alice! Lilith! Operators! Are you out there?!” He called out, noting the Limbo’s speech sounded hoarse. Confirming his suspicions of how the mouth came to be further.

               Although, that was strange. He hadn’t meant to make the _warframe_ speak. Normally his voice sounded from an implanted communicator. But perhaps that had also been damaged like the rest of the body. Yet, aside from the sound and the itching in his ‘throat’ that made him want to cough, he was having no trouble at all using the Limbo’s voice as his own. The fact it even almost sounded similar to how his had begun to sound…

               It was just another thing to look into. _Later_.

               “So you _can_ still speak,” A voice echoed out from within Helminth’s infirmary, one that sounded familiar and a lot _quieter_ than it normally would have been. It was the voice of _Simaris_. “Good.”

               Ordis turned around in search for where the other Cephalon was speaking to him from. Confused as to where his voice was coming from and why he didn’t just communicate with him over the Weave directly.

               Then again, he still probably still wanted to avoid being contaminated by his ‘Glitches’ and was just waiting to see if he was even still functional to begin with. If that comment on his being able to speak was anything to go by, that was. He’d been playing the waiting game with him. Seeing if he could even start up.

               But what else was new? That was just like Simaris. To show concern but then not do anything until he was certain he wouldn’t get harmed in the process. Unless the situation was dire enough to change his mind. Just as he had when Suda and he had been at risk of permanently being overtaken by…

               Wait a moment...

               If Simaris was aware of his condition…

               The blocks.

               _That pompous piece of—_

               Before he could snap in rage, he took in a deep breath and closed his… Eyes? Taking the moment to collect himself before he went back to searching the room. There wasn’t much the other Cephalon could be speaking to him through, unless he had somehow overtaken the machinery the infestation controlled. Then his gaze fell upon TIM: Simaris’ modified Helios sentinel.

               Had it always been in the room and he hadn’t noticed?

               Either way, putting two and two together was a simple task.

               “Simaris,” Ordis began, speaking to the sentinel as though it were Simaris’ personal proxy. And for the moment, it may as well be. “I’m assuming you… _Saw_ everything?”

               “Of course. Did you think my statement of having you under my constant watch was a bluff?” Simaris, through TIM, spoke. The sentinel not at all displaying its usual curious or childish behavior while under the other Cephalon’s direct control. And without even waiting for an answer, Simaris continued to speak onwards. “Your Tenno were quite concerned by your sudden shutdown and I saw to it that their needs were taken care of while you were midst your systems restore. Though I feel I must inform you how your medical station and applicator tools are rather lacking and outdated. And that is without me mentioning other systems which you should see to getting to present standards.”

               “Oh, uh... Thank you. That was very kind of you, Simaris.” Ordis let out a half-relieved sigh, rather surprised the other Cephalon would willingly do things outside his directive purpose. But he was more preoccupied with trying to ignore the comment towards his ship systems being outdated. He already knew damn well they were and still needed additional upgrades. It was just an issue of his Operators obtaining the funds to pay for them and then finding trustworthy builders since they refused to just downright just _steal_ everything. And there were only so many strings and favors Darvo could pull for them. “Where are they now? Still aboard?”

               “Unfortunately, they had business with the Priestess of the Veil and have left.” Simaris stated and Ordis gave a slight nod in understanding. While they did care for him immensely, they still had their duty as Tenno to fulfill. And Palladino’s situation was rather urgent… “But with the Orbiter presently docked within Iron Wake’s ship yard, it should not be that long before they return.”

               “…Ship yard…?” Ordis felt the mandibles that made up his new mouth go slack in shock. **_“You took the Orbiter out of the Void?!”_**

               “It was a necessary action!” Simaris asserted. “The selfish behavior you acted on to preserve your warframe damaged a majority of the Orbiter’s void energy filtration and containment systems. They _were_ in need of repairs, ones I could not perform without a proper connection to your main hub.” He paused, as if to allow for the information to sink in. The ‘eye’ of the sentinel studying his frame closely in a scrutinizing manner. “Your core Somatics were merely a secondary target of the surge. Were you not aware?”

               “… No.” That was enough to shut him up and extinguish his rage, leaving behind a sense of embarrassment. Some ship Cephalon he was… “I… Ordis apologizes, Simaris…”

               “Ordis…” Simaris seemed to sigh. “You are already beginning to show signs of neglecting your roll of Ship Cephalon and Controller. While I did vow to not stop you from pursuing your decision of allowing yourself to become null and degraded, the rate in which you are doing so has increased rapidly far beyond Suda and I’s calculations.”

               “For the last time, I am _not_ becoming degraded…” Ordis folded his arms across his chest.

               “But you are.” Simaris reaffirmed. “Your processing speed has slowed. Your ability to properly assess your own state of being is nearly moot. Several of your precepts seem to even have been deleted entirely and need to be restored. You should be _ashamed_ to still call yourself a Cephalon. Have you even realized the _predicament_ you’re in right now?”

               “If the predicament you are referring to is being trapped in a room with a vile creature that should just continue keeping to himself and pile of infested flesh, I’m perfectly aware of that.” Ordis said with a scoff and a tone of complete indifference. But what Simaris had said made him start thinking back on the things he had realized earlier but had set aside in his goal of getting to his Operators.

               However, Simaris didn’t seem to be particularly keen on letting him take his time on figuring it out for himself. He was finished with the waiting game.

               “You’re trapped in a Transference loop, Ordis.” He said as clearly and pronounced as he was able through the Helios.

               “I…” Ordis merely stared at the Helios. “What?”

               “Part of your mind was permanently locked in the Limbo with Transference energy due to those creatures you and your Tenno encountered. An occurrence similar to the like of that woman from the Silver Grove you once shared with Suda and I.” Simaris explained, an underline trace of concern in his voice that he seemed to be trying to cover with annoyance. “Why did you think the moment your systems rebooted your immediate perspective was that of your frame, rather than your hub? Or why you cannot shift your perspective at all to its previous default despite having a physical connection?”

               “I was assuming it was due to the blocks you set on my access...”

               “They were only meant to keep you from gaining control of the Orbiter systems until I could properly analyze you in a conscious state. I did not want to risk spreading a possible virus meant to attack our kind across the Weave by interfacing directly. And there was only so much I could glean from an external scan of your systems.” Well that much Ordis already knew. But now that it was known to him Simaris wasn’t entirely responsible for what was happening… “It will take Suda and I some time to try and devise a way to reverse this. So I would advise you to not put yourself in the way of unnecessary harm again until we—Ordis? _Ordis_?! Have your circuits _fried_? Why are you _laughing_? _Ordis?!_ ”

               “Well…”  Ordis started, as be began to calm down from his sudden fit of laughter. “I suppose there are worse things it could have done...” He sighed and leaned against the sealed door behind him. Wincing slightly as pain coursed through him briefly at the contact with the cold metal. “Not too bad of a situation to be _stuck_ in if I’m… If I’m honest…” He trailed off, his attention briefly caught by something that appeared in the corner of his vision. A smiling figure with a familiar face that clearly did not belong there. _At all._ “Simaris, may Ordis request something of you?”

               “What is it?

               “Your expertise involving developmental Somatic shielding upgrades… May I borrow them?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Rap  
> Tap  
> Tap
> 
> The  
> Man  
> In  
> The  
> Wall
> 
> Everyone is in trouble now.


	10. Chapter 10

               Simaris agreeing to help in upgrading his Somatic’s shields came as a relief. But Ordis wasn’t a fool, he knew better than to think it was simply out of the goodness of his coded heart. The other Cephalon had his own reasons for agreeing. He just saw it as a way to protect the Weave by ensuring another attack like the one he endured could not happen again to one of their kind.

               He was essentially a guinea pig for the greater good of other Cephalon. Not that he was complaining. The minor fixes and upgrades he gave him right then seemed to have already rid himself of the void exposure effects. That hallucination he had been having of the darker version of himself was gone, _finally_ , and he couldn’t hear any more whispers in the back of his mind. So all in all, it seemed to be working. And that was the most he could hope for the time being.

               But he still couldn’t shake the feeling that something other than his Operators’ pets and warframes was aboard with him. Something that _did not_ belong.

               He did his best to ignore it.

               With his main concern of the hallucinations dealt with, the entire premises of being stuck in a Transference loop with the Limbo finally began to sink in. Sure, as he had said to Simaris after his initial reaction of hysterical laughter there were _definitely_ worse things. Several of which he could list right off the bat. But that didn’t mean this wasn’t _bad_. Because it was. It was very, _very_ , bad. Especially when he came to realize that Simaris hadn’t deserved to be the recipient of the anger towards the blocks on his access. Mostly because he wasn’t even responsible for a majority of them to begin with.

               Despite how his core, his main storage unit, was the ship; he couldn’t do much anything on it anymore without directly interfacing via cable connection.  A reversed situation of his first weeks learning to control the Limbo. He could still easily set up automated functions that would react to certain pings when not connected with the parts of his consciousness that still remained aboard, but it wasn’t the same.

               Nothing was completely under his control as it had originally been. Or as finely monitored. But at least it was _something_. He could still make do until a way to reverse the situation was formulated with Simaris’ and Suda’s assistance.

               Though, he wouldn’t exactly mind if they never did discover the means to. It was, after all, not _that_ displeasing of a situation, despite his control being ripped away. If anything, it was an ironic happenstance that made his initial claim to Suda of the Limbo being his main body a concrete observation rather than a simple feeling. It was funny, really. And it just wanted to make him laugh even more.

               Even now, the little control he had managed to gain over his life was almost immediately snatched away from him. _Again_. He should be used to it by now. But Alice and Lilith had managed to convince him he deserved to have _some_ control if not all.

               Back to square one, it would seem…

               After checking over the Orbiter systems one final time, he disembarked and stepped out onto the soft Earth just outside. TIM just above his head, free of Simaris’ control, chirping happily at the change in surroundings. The dry grass softly crunched beneath his feet and the smell of damp soil filling his senses for first time in what was maybe centuries. But he was not here to enjoy the sensations or take in the scenery. Perhaps some other time, when his Operators decided to take a visit to Cetus, a settlement they had heard of. But not right now.

               “Come along Fluffles, you disgusting little thing you.” He called to the infested charger, who was still rather small in comparison to Minka or Phoenix, to follow him into the Grineer base. However, while the words he used could be seen as demeaning, there was no actual hate behind them. Not like how there used to be

               The charger was hesitant at first, whining as she touched her mutated forepaws at the unfamiliar ground. Barking at it and even making motions as though she were to pounce on it; only stopping after she concluded with a few inquisitive sniffs that the dirt wasn’t a threat. After that, she happily followed him into the confines of Iron Wake.

               They didn’t get all that far until they eventually found the people they were looking for. Their attire standing out against the Earthy metal tones of the Grineer rebels and structures surrounding them. The sight of them causing Ordis’ newly formed mouth to twitch and curl into a… smile?

               They were okay.

               They were okay and that was all that mattered for the moment.

               He allowed himself to let out a breathy contented sigh, his head snapping upwards when Alice’s ever familiar delighted squeal reached him. And not long after, before he could even react, she had thrown herself at him. Her arms and legs latching around his waist tightly and causing sparks of pain from the residual wounds to his frame. The anesthetic he’d injected it with before stepping out hadn’t kicked in quite yet.

               “Ordy,” She exclaimed, tears already beginning to well up in her eyes while he did his best to not hiss in discomfort. Fluffles, meanwhile, just let out sounds of jealousy as she pawed at his legs. Wanting the same amount of attention he was getting. TIM merely beeping in confusion while circling around them. “You’re okay!”

               “As okay as I _can_ be, but yes, Ordis is okay.” He lightly chuckled as he managed to pry her off and set her down on her feet. Kneeling so he could affectionally pet her head and wipe away the wet splotches with his thumb as he did so. “I was more concerned with how _you_ both were. I’m supposed to take care of you. Not knowing where you are or how you’re doing because you’ve gone and disappeared on me scares me more than anything. And I _forbad_ you both from doing that, mind you, after Lilith up and teleported off the Obiter that one time.” His tone remained gentle while possessing the authority of a father lightly scolding his child. “If Simaris hadn’t been there to tell me where you’d gone I’m sure I would have had another panic attack thinking something had happened.”

               “We’re sorry...” Alice sniffled lightly a warmth spreading through his chest as she clutched the hand he’d placed on her cheek within her own. “But Palla needed us and Simaris said it would be awhile until you woke up because of the loop...”

               “You don’t need to apologize, Operator.” Ordis sighed lightly, not at all liking how saddened she now seemed from his brief lecture. “I’m not mad at you, I never really can be no matter what you do.” He ruffled up her hair, careful not to agitate the antler-like stubs by knocking his hand against them. His other hand moving to attend to Fluffles who was beginning to whine louder the more she was ignored. However, it was forced to leave her when Alice wrapped her arms around his neck and buried her face into his shoulder.

               “We’re sorry…”

               “Alice… You did nothing wrong,” He gently pat at her back as he returned the embrace. Realizing right then that this entire interaction must appear strange to the members of Steel Meridian that were looking on, but not caring in the slightest. Why should it matter what they think? “It’s Ordis who should be apologizing for causing you to worry so much again. You shouldn’t have to deal with the trouble I cause…” As he spoke, his gaze shifted so that he was looking to Lilith.

               The older girl had stood off to the side, just looking over both he and Alice the whole time in silence. A soft smile, one of relief and fondness, displayed across her face. A smile that was immediately replaced with an expression of indifference when she saw he was looking at her. But that was to be expected. Unlike Alice, Lilith wasn’t as willing to share how she truly felt with all of the Terminus system. Not unless the emotion she was expressing was anger.

               “You don’t need to apologize either. Things happen.” She shrugged. “You couldn’t have known.”

               “Yes, but, as Simaris must have informed you both of it could have easily been avoided…”

               “Doesn’t really matter at this point if it could have,” She commented while making her way over to him as Alice made way for her. “Your head’s still pretty messed up. Along with… _Everything_.” She changed the subject, her gloved fingers first gently tapping him between the split nods of glowing energy before her other hand joined in exploring the rest of the mutated flesh on his ‘face’. Being extra careful with her touches as though she were aware he was still sensitive since the incident. “Man, I thought Helminth would’ve fixed you up better. You look like _shit_.”

               “I _feel_ like shit.” Ordis said in response, choosing not to reprimand Lilith for her language this one time. A chuckle following how she immediately withdrew her hand the second the mandibles moved when he spoke. Her jerking reaction akin to shaking off an insect that’d started crawling all over her hands. Something that TIM even found humorous based on its chirps. “But it’s rather _fitting_ , don’t you think, _Lilypad?_ ” His free hand once again became preoccupied with tending to Fluffles’ need for attention. “ _I look as battered and **ugly** as I should be_.”

               “You’re not ugly!” Alice argued, throwing her arms around his neck again in a hug that was more aggressive compared to the previous ones.

               “Nah, he is.” Lilith crossed her arms, a coy smile on her face.

               “Lily!”

                “Hey, it’s true.” She exclaimed. “He’s _ugly_. The same way _we_ are.”

               The comparison made him laugh.

               “Ordis will take that as a compliment.”

               ⃝

               Back aboard the Orbiter as Ordis prepped the ship for re-entry into the void, Lilith and Alice brought him up to speed as to what the situation with Palladino was. After ensuring he was safely reconnected with the ship, of course. Given his own situation.

               Apparently, there was a ‘holy figure’ that Palladino was attempting to contact to quell the madness that was consuming the Red Veil members. Only she was missing some ancient relic. A Donda, an old Orokin device that behaved similarly to Ayatan statues with their perpetual movements and sounds. With it, she would be able to more easily communicate with the one she called ‘Rell’. A name Lilith claimed sounded familiar.

               And of course, _finding_ the Donda, was tasked to them.

               “A Red Veil séance?! How… Delightful?” He muttered, unsure of just what emotion to express once the Orbiter was back in its designated space. His attention immediately shifting to search through the radio channels for any reported disturbances in areas the Veil had operated. A task that _should_ have been easy, but given his current state it was taking a bit longer than usual.

               Unable to split his focus as readily and having to manually interface with the Orbiter’s consoles proved to be a bit of a challenge. Especially with Fluffles currently sleeping in his lap making movement difficult. What was it with the Orbiter’s inhabitants and falling asleep on his frame at a regular basis?

               “Can it even be considered a séance if the person isn’t dead?” Lilith questioned, scratching Phoenix’s chin as the Kavat sprawling himself across her lap. Fingers of one hand running over the divots of her prosthetics.

               “I suppose not. But I don’t think Palladino shared that information with the two of you, did she?” Ordis shrugged, continuing to filter through all the reports that were readily available, narrowing down the search to a singular location. Barely catching both Lilith and Alice’s unified reply of ‘no’ to his question. “ _There_.”

               “Found something?” Alice asked, leaning over his knelt form and resting her chin on his shoulder to look at the holographic display of the Terminus system. TIM mimicking her motions by hovering just above his other shoulder to also take a look.

               “Possibly.” Ordis explained as the map zoomed in on Pluto and brought up a static solar rail image of what appeared to be a Corpus ship in orbit of the planet.

               “ _Another_ abandoned ship?” Lilith commented once he had moved out of the way for her to view. “ _Greeeeat_.” She allowed herself to flop backwards so that she was completely lying on the floor with arms crossed over her eyes.

               “Operators, may Ordis ask something?” He let out a sigh as he looked back to the ship he had marked on the navigation console. Gently pushing Alice as well as Fluffles, careful not to wake her, aside so he could stand and allow them to take over from there. “Is going after the Donda that belonged to _this figment of the Veil’s beliefs_ even worth it?”

               He didn’t bother to hide the frustration and pure annoyance in his tone. He just wanted to be done with the Veil at this point. They’d all already been through enough grief and who knew what would happen should they continue assisting when all they had to go on were vague explanations and fanatical rituals. Yes, the Tenno, including his, were supposed to maintain the balance in the Terminus system and keep it safe now that they were awake. But there were still _limits_ to what they could handle. Something both he and the Lotus agreed on.

               Even if they could take care of themselves being the void ‘demons’ that they were, they were still children. _His_ children. Whatever that darkness was; that swirling mass of volatile void energy full of malice, nothing good could come from it. Just making contact with it once had bound him, a Cephalon, to the frame he now operated. And while he was _fine_ —fine being a loose term—he didn’t want to even think about what would have happened if it had been either Lilith of Alice it had grabbed instead.

               _Just imagining such a thing made him_ —

               “But we need to help Palla and the Veil.” Alice started to argue with a frown.

               “ _They **hardly** seem deserving of the help. If anything, it would be best to let them all **perish**._ ” He scoffed. _“But if you still want to help, maybe you should just **brew some leaves and**_ —” He stopped midsentence, wincing under the shared expression of shock both Alice and Lilith looked at him with. Even TIM seemed shocked, in whatever way possible it was for a Sentinel to be. “… Sorry… Forget Ordis said anything.” He dragged his hands over his face briefly, letting out a sigh.

               No matter what he said, they were still going to help, weren’t they? They saw it as their job, their duty that they had to fulfill no matter what. Even if it made his own of keeping them safe more difficult, he couldn’t very well stop them. No matter how much he wanted to _ground_ them and keep them out of harm’s way on this one.

               “Whenever you two are ready, navigation is… Bleeding…” He trailed off when his eyes briefly fell upon the image of his-past self, dyed red with blood, sitting upon the codex terminal. A sinister smile once again on his face as he stared him down, almost as though daring him to do something.

               With a shake of his head, it was gone. But the chill that ran up his spine from the mere sight of it stayed.

               Why was he still seeing this hallucination? Was the Transference Loop causing this with the extra amounts of void energy his mind was now exposed to? The somatic upgrades he’d gotten from Simaris _should_ have taken care of it. He was going to have to contact him about this and let him know that there were still some holes it had managed to worm its way through that needed looking at before he even thought of applying it to his Operators.

               Were they even seeing the same things he was?

               “Ordis…” Alice began, pulling him back to his senses. “Are you—"

               “Waiting,” He corrected his previous statement quickly before she could ask what was wrong. “Navigation is _waiting_ …”

⃝               

               He had been right to try and sway them.

               Hell, he should have tried _harder_.

               Finding the Donda had only caused for more of those shadowy manifestations to appear and hunt them down. And from what he could see via monitor of the feedbacks their warframes gave—a less personal means of viewing what they saw unlike the direct feedback he was used to—just being in their presence caused multiple energy disturbances. Disturbances that were stronger than they had been aboard the Steel Meridian ship and caused a lot of technical issues. The fact Alice and Lilith could still even maintain a stable Transference connection with their frames during the whole of it could be seen as a miracle.

               But that wasn’t the worst of it.

               Lilith had finally managed to remember why the name ‘Rell’ was familiar to her. It had been the name of one of her classmates aboard the Zarriman. Another Tenno child, trapped in a Transference loop like he now was, fractured and split apart by the void energy encompassing his mind. A Transference loop he had no hope of escaping with his physical body long gone. All because of the Veil convincing him he needed to bind himself to his warframe permanently to keep this so called ‘Man in the wall’ from passing through the void and into their plain of existence.

               It made Ordis sick. It made him want to take the Orbiter back to Iron Wake so he could personally strangle Palladino for what her ancestors had put the boy through. What they were doing was no better than the Orokin using children they abducted as pawns and spies on the battlefield, or even as _vessels_ for their Continuity rituals. Damn them and their traditions. His own clan had some questionable ones, but never, _never_ , did any of them put a child in harm’s way. Only the coming of age ceremony where they were sent out to hunt a return with the head of the largest beast they could find was considered dangerous. And even then, they would have elder members watching them from a safe distance the entire time ready to intervene. But this? _This?!_

               Rell couldn’t have possibly _willingly_ committed to this without them manipulating and coaxing him into the decision based on Lilith’s own recollections. The boy was no fool. Different, yes, but no fool. He would not have done this to himself. They claimed it was all his idea, the Lotus believing it as well, all to shut out the ‘Indifference’ but it couldn’t have been.

               He refused to believe that was the case.

               Despite the anger seething in him once again, he said nothing of it. Opting to instead help in putting Rell to rest by modifying Arclight traps they had aboard the Orbiter to trap and contain the pieces. That way, once they collected all of them, they could bring them back to wherever it was the Veil had hidden away his warframe. Make him whole again in the same way Alice and Lilith had once done for him. Freeing him from the never-ending nightmare he now found himself a part of.

               It was the least he could do for the boy. He may not be one of his Operators, but he didn’t deserve to endure any of what he was being put through. But each time those manifestations came close to touching Lilith or Alice…

               He was more than a bit forceful in insisting he go with them in venturing into to the Red Veil’s temple. Whatever lay ahead within was more than likely worse than what they had dealt with thus far. Even if it did seem that the whole of it was finally at its end.

               “You actually want to go after all the fuss you’ve been putting up?” Lilith glowered at him, crossing her arms over her chest.

               “There’s safety in numbers.” Ordis said simply, trying to sound nothing but concerned. But Lilith wasn’t convinced, nor was TIM who had decided her shoulder was better to float over during this conversation. Almost as though taking her side. “And you’ve had plenty of close calls while _bust_ —capturing the manifestations. The chains he summoned from the void nearly caught your Loki by the legs during your last encounter.”

               “But what are _you_ supposed to do to help?” Lilith challenged, seeming more than just insistent on his staying aboard the Orbiter. “Scream _bloody murder_ at the shadows?” Ordis' held up his hand and merely allowed the flittering and humming energy that danced across his fingertips answer her question. “Oh…”

               “Utilizing rift energy to counteract them worked aboard the Steel Meridian ship.” He couldn’t help but give his version of a smirk at the way Lilith’s face had immediately dropped. “And there’s more than enough stored in me thanks to the adjustments made to the Limbo to last for quite a while. Even if he is presently damaged.”

               “But what about the control issues you’ve been having with the Orbiter and dropships with your whole deal with… Being stuck.” Lilith gestured her hands to his frame. TIM beeping in agreement just beside her.

               “I’ve worked around it.” He said plainly. “If anything goes wrong, I’ve already created a failsafe that will give control over to Simaris should things take a turn for the worst.”

               “You mean if you get hurt again?” Alice, who had overheard them from where she was across the Orbiter feeding their four-legged companions, said softly. Worry clearly evident in her tone and face.

               “… Yes…”

               “That’s _why_ you _shouldn’t_ come.” Lilith asserted. “You nearly _died_ last time! All because of my dumb decision of having you tag along in the first place!” Her hands were balled up into fists at her side at this point. Her shoulders quaking as she was quite obviously trying not to allow other emotions to rise to the surface of the pit within her own mind. Emotions she wanted to keep sunk to the bottom that he himself was all too familiar with.

               Because while each of their situations were different, they still understood one another better than anyone else.

               “Lilith,” He started, placing one his hands atop her head so that she looked up at him. “You should know by now after all that’s happened. Ordis may be old, but he’s damn hard to kill even for a Cephalon. Not even _Hunhow_ could do enough damage to permanently put me out of commission. Nor could those _nasty_ shadows.”

               The girl bit her lip and averted her eyes as she gave a bit of a pout. Not seeming to want to admit to the truth behind his words. He had lived through a lot of bull most other Cephalon would have been destroyed by. Whether it was from luck or from his own sheer stubborn personality and determination. He was still here, even after everything.

               “Don’t worry about Ordis.” He said again, pushing a lock of her hair behind her ear that had fallen out of place. “Let him worry about you instead and provide whatever assistance he can.” He knelt in front of her so he was at her eye level and squeezed her shoulders in a reassuring manner. “ _Humor_ me.”

               “… Fine…” Lilith sighed in defeat. “But if you _do_ get hurt again, I’ll kill you myself.”

               The serious look on her face as she spoke those words caused him to chuckle.

               From then on, they were silent as they made their individual preparations for the eventual departure towards the Derelict. Which was probably for the best, considering the gravity of this whole thing. What _could_ they talk about that wouldn’t result in a heated debate or argument over what was right or wrong about it?

               Silence was preferable. Silence was something they were used to, despite having grown to hate it. And it was comforting in the brief moments they had before finally arriving.

               They touched down in the abandoned docking bay with relative ease. No signs of infestation other than the overgrowth that consumed most of the hangar. But it wasn’t anything remarkable, this ship was no different from any of the other Orokin left ships adrift that became home to the infestation. Well, besides the obvious fact it housed the Red Veil’s ‘holy’ temple. The place that they had kept Rell locked away in for so long.

               Palladino, who at first seemed annoyed by Ordis’ presence, lead them to their destination over Comms. Not at all physically present as she had originally lead them to believe she’d be. An action that only caused him to become more suspicious as they drew closer. And yet, nothing seemed to be happening.

               No shadows, no ghostly voice invading his mind, just more silence between the times Palladino felt the need to make some sort of comment.

               It had stopped being comforting by now.

               “You may enter here,” Palladino said once they had found the Temple within the Derelict. Seeming almost hesitant with what she was about to say next. “But only in your true sacred form. Your warframes, your Cephalon, will unfortunately have to stay behind.”

               “What?!” Ordis was quick to snap. “ _Are you **mad** , woman?! After all the bull **shit** you’ve put them through till now you really expect—_ ”

               “Ordis.” Lilith cut him off before he could continue his tirade. The hand of her Loki firmly gripping him by the shoulder so he was forced to turn and face her. “We have to respect the Veil’s boundaries.”

               “We’ll call out to you if we need you, okay? We’ll be fine.” Alice added on, taking his hands within that of her Banshee’s. Squeezing them in what was supposed to be reassurance just before stepping away and ghosting out from her frame entirely.

               “Ordis still doesn’t approve of any of this…” He mumbled, letting out an aggravated huff meant to conceal his anxiety. TIM bumping against the back of his head as though trying to comfort him in the same way his Tenno were.

               Why couldn’t this be one of the times the Lotus interjected about the situation being too dangerous for them like she had the first time they encountered the Grustag Three, or when Lilith had first discovered the Kuva Fortress. Now was a _perfect_ a time as any for her to suddenly assert her ‘motherly’ authority over them.

               “We know,” Lilith said with a forced laugh once she had left her own frame. She was scared. He could see it as plain as day despite how she tried to hide it. “That’s why we’ll try to be fast so we don’t give you a heart attack or anything.”

               “Ordis will remember that as he times you.”

               “Seriously?”

               “Completely.”

               A genuine laugh escaped her this time.

               “That’s fair.” She said, lightly patting her abandoned Loki, patting Kai, on the arm before doing the same to him. Fingers lingering for only just a moment as she moved towards the hatch in the floor that acted as the gateway towards Rell’s tomb just below. “Come on Ali.” She called out to the younger girl who stood still, shuffling her feet anxiously. Expression and gaze already beginning to go hollow as it always did when she got stressed.

               Ordis gave her a gentle nudge with his hand, snapping her out of it for a moment as she looked to him with those big eyes of hers. Reaching up towards his face with her arms that were just too short to reach further than his chest. Reminding him again of just how small and frail they both were despite the power they carried within. The sight causing a knot to form in the pit of his nonexistent stomach as the worry he had tried to push aside at their wishes only grew.

               “Yes, Operator?” He asked softly, leaning down just enough so that she could place her hands on the side of his face as she seemed to want.

               She said nothing, just thumbed at the grooves and indents where the armored flesh split and reconnected with itself. Then after a moment of thinking it over, she leaned up on the tips of her toes and pressed her lips against the warped piece of metal just above his mandibles. The flesh twitching and contorting in response to the unexpected action as he could only stare in confusion. He didn't understand why she would choose to use such a gesture when she hadn't ever done so before. And all it did was make him feel _worse_. As though she were saying 'goodbye'.

               “We’ll be fine.” Alice reaffirmed once more before leaving him and taking her place at Lilith’s side.

               Ordis could only watch as they descended into the darkness below, the door snapping shut almost as soon as they had fallen through. Leaving him up above; entirely alone aside from the company of their mute frames they had been forced to leave behind.

               The knot inside him became tighter with each passing second he was forced to wait. Timing them just as he had said he would be. More than two minutes having gone by since they’d left.

               He could faintly make out the sounds of something happening just beneath where he stood. Going so far as to get down on the ground and press the side of his head against the surface to see if his auditory sensors could better catch what was going on.

               It sounded almost like—

               Kai’s shadow falling over him and placing a hand over one of his forced him to raise his head as he looked towards the warframe. Of course, he got no reply or explanation for the action. Just a silent as well as concerned stare from a softly tilted head.

               What, was he trying to console him too now?

               “Ordis doesn’t need you to—” He was about to tell the Loki off, but stopped when a certain sound rose from the hidden depths below. Faint, but still loud enough for him to hear. Enough for him to go cold.

               It was the sound of screaming.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was a bit of a feelstrip as well as a bitch to write.  
> Especially because I didn't even remember TIM existed till like the very end.  
> Next one will probably be an even bigger bitch to write so it may take awhile.


	11. Chapter 11

               He wasn’t wrong, was he?

               Those sounds ringing repeatedly in his head like a chime that refused to stop, those had been screams. His _Operators’_ screams. Who else could they have belonged to? Even while muffled and distorted by the ancient structure they now occupied, it was still clearly their voices calling out. _Pained_.

               Without having even realized it, he had already moved onto the tomb’s gateway. Clawing at and pulling at whatever grooves his fingers caught in a desperate attempt to get it open with his bare hands. Going so far as to lace them with the void energy imbued in his frame to try and melt the thick metal. TIM whirling just above him, buzzing and jittering in what must be panicked motions.

               He had to get down there.

               He _needed_ to get down there.

               His Operators, his _children_ , they needed him.

               _They needed him._

               **_They needed him._**

**_They—_ **

               “ _Cephalon_ , what do you think you are _doing_?!” Palladino’s voice sounded through the commlink, able to sense his actions through whatever means she had been given to monitor both him and the girls as they performed her little ‘favor’. Clearly, attempting to break into the tomb she had said he was forbidden to enter was crossing some ‘sacred’ threshold. As if he cared about such a thing. “You cannot—”

               “ _You do not get to tell me what I can and cannot do, Priestess._ ” Ordis’ words were laced with pure venom. Taking not even a moment’s pause in trying to pry open the entrance to the tomb.

               Even the girls’ frames that had been left behind with him were trying to do the same. Lilith’s Loki, Kai, by wedging the blade of his melee weapon through the cracks to try and shimmy it open. Alice’s unnamed Banshee using her sonar to try and find some sort of mechanism, something he could hack, to unlock it. Instead only revealing that just below and off further ahead there were multiple bodies; all moving, all very _hostile_.

               They were in danger. And Palladino was willing to just _sit_ and _watch_ because she believed them to be godly entities capable of handling things on their own when they _weren’t_.

               They may have learned how to fend for themselves in the time spent adrift in the void, but they hadn’t done any sort of actual training for combat outside their frames. It was how Lilith lost her damned _legs_ in the first place!

               Before Ordis could say anything else to Palladino, make her see that no matter how she tried talking him out of trying to entire the tomb—or that it was only passable by humans—It wouldn’t deter him, the connection was cut. And instead, the familiar, synthetic, and monotone voice of the Lotus filtered through.

               “Ordis,” She started, and already he was beginning to feel the flames of rage grow further.

               Was she going to tell him to let them be too? _She_ , who did so much to protect and coddle them more than 90% of the time she ever bothered to interact with them? _She_ , who had gone out of her way when the Stalker had boarded the Orbiter, in the _VOID_ , to ensure they were safe? _She_ , who _murdered_ her own kind for them?

               “Go.” The word alone quelled his rage and made him hold his tongue as he listened to what else she had to say. “You must protect them this time since I cannot. There seems to be more to this… This ‘Man in the Wall’ than I initially believed…” She seemed… Fearful? Regretful? “It’s _hurting_ them.” Anger. “Get to them quickly!”

               Just then, the gateway had started to give to Kai’s blade. Both unoccupied warframes scrambling to wedge their hands and feet between the slim opening and putting all the force they had into pushing the doors apart. Just enough to make a gateway large enough for TIM and Ordis’ own frame to slip through.

               Shooting both warframes an appreciative nod, he plunged into the darkness that awaited. The gate snapping shut the instant he had passed through. Dropping into the tunnel of winding roots and ancient metal. The scent of burning incense filtered through his senses. A kind he was familiar with that was often used to honor the dead while visiting their graves. And along with it, the screaming he had heard before sounded again. Clearer. Sharper.

               He quickly moved. The two other gateways that blocked his way ripped open by his energy laced hands. Melting and bending the metal grating that was much thinner than that of the main entrance. Already he could already feel the effects of his previous injuries on the Limbo’s arms, throbbing pain once again flowing through them.

               But he endured it. He _had_ to endure it. Where Rell’s warframe had been tethered was just one platform away. He could clearly see it. And along with it, his Operators.

               And what he saw caused whatever blood he had in his frame to boil.

               Red Veil Fanatics, corrupted and wills bent by the same power that had driven the one’s aboard the Steel Meridian ship persuade them with blades and other weapons in hand. Some already lay dead, but their numbers seemed unending as though they were being summoned forth by the void itself. And that may as well be it, for just above the chained warframe the tomb was built for was a deep red shadow of splintering energy.

               But Ordis didn’t care much about that.

               No.

               What he cared about were the injuries he could clearly make out on each of the girl’s persons within seconds of his gaze falling on them.

               Lilith was limping, one of her prosthetics severely damaged and at risk of completely giving out on her. Parts of her suit were torn in several places where she’d been cut by the nikana wielding members of the mob. A hand held to her stomach where the largest gash of them all had been dealt in an attempt to stop the bleeding.

               Alice was even worse for wear, despite seeming to be mostly fine at first asides from a few cuts of her own. She’d been knocked to the ground near the edge of the platform nearest to him, but when she began pushing herself up the full extent of how bad she’d been hurt was made clear. The entirety of her face was dyed red with her own blood; a gaping wound where her left eye should have been while the right was obscured by the crimson liquid. Leaving her all but entirely blind.

               Multiple things within him shifted.

               Pieces once discarded that were being slowly woven back into his being suddenly realigned themselves all at once. Fitting together seamlessly as though they had never been shattered and scattered over and over again. All due to this singular horrible sight that struck a chord so deep within him more than anything else had.

               And just like that…

               He **_snapped_**.

               The Veil member closest to the fallen girl was the first to feel the brunt of his wrath amidst a cruel howl of despair once he leapt across the gap. His neck twisted and snapped within his hands, easily coming off his torso as the equivalent of teeth then punctured his throat; tearing into it through the armor and ripping it open like an animal. The action causing the pristine white of the Limbo’s body to be stained by the ichor and only worsening further as _Ordis,_ still very much Ordis, moved onto his next target.

               The nikana wielders that were in the midst of cornering Lilith as her prosthetic finally gave out found themselves wrapped in the rift’s energy. Freezing and locking them in place on the ground where they had fallen, unable to move. All they could do is lie there and listen to the rapidly approaching footsteps of their death as their blades were torn from their grip.

               One met his end by having his head crushed beneath the heel of Ordis’ foot, causing blood to pool around him and through the cracks of armor as it was ground into his skull, his helm having collapsed in on itself with the sheer force behind the frame’s stomp. His death would come slowly, painfully, but it was most certainly and end.

               The other’s death was much swifter; impaled in the neck by the very blade he’d been using. The Rift energy encasing him being released simply to allow him to flounder and thrash as the life in his veins began to drain away with each twist of the nikana. He fell still on only a few moments. Time long enough for Lilith’s stricken gaze to meet Ordis’ head on in silence.

               She didn’t say anything, and in turn neither did he. Their exchange one of silent understanding and gratitude.

               But it was broken not long after by another possessed Veil member. One that was quickly cut down in quick and decisive movements with the nikana that had been piercing the neck of his brother just a few moments earlier. Each strike slicing through where the Veil armor was weakest with the utmost precision only one with both the mind of a Cephalon and a warrior’s skill could perform. The end results a grotesque heap of gore spilling onto the floor.

               It was all entirely _excessive_. A singular slash at the jugular would have been more than sufficient. But it was also all entirely _necessary_. Ordis felt no joy, no sense of remorse as he swiftly dispatched the other Veil members that tried to get past him to either Lilith or Alice. Only cold rage floating amongst a tranquil sea of calmness and intense focus as he continued his slaughter until none were left standing.

               He stood there in the center of it all. A heavy breath escaping him as his shoulders relaxed and he looked down at his hands. Coated and dyed with the blood of the Veil members he’d slain along with the rest of his frame.

               A bath was _definitely_ going to be needed after this…

               Raising his head, he met Lilith’s gaze once more. Her eyes never once having left him in the mere seconds it had taken fell the possessed members of the Veil. And she let out a laugh.

               It was laugh that wasn’t from amusement, but terror, disgust, and _relief_. Quiet laughter of a mind gone mad that’d he’d heard from her many times when battles got too heated. Times when she could no longer disconnect from the violence she committed almost strictly through her frame. Laughter that stopped almost as soon as it started, her stare once again fearful and distant as she struggled to find the words to speak. But she was unable to do more than make a joking comment:

               “Maybe Ali’s Valkyr would have suited you better.” She said with weak smile as he approached.

               “Perhaps.” Ordis said, his voice still his own but changed. Not at all how it had come to be but like how it had once been long ago. “But I think what was given to me fits me just fine.” He lifted her up into his arms then without so much as protest on her part. Quickly shifting to banish and immobilizing members of the Veil that began to spawn from the shadows as he moved.

               He set her down next to Alice; the younger girl still very much blinded but acutely aware of what had come to pass. The sounds of the brutal slaughtering he had just committed no doubt having easily reached her ears. But like Lilith, she stayed silent. Whether it was from the numb stupor she had forced herself into or from shock was unknown. Amongst the blood, there wasn’t much of a readable expression for him to evaluate.

               Silently, TIM moved from its position above him to settle above the girls, the medi-ray that was installed in its systems activating and bathing them both in a soft green light. It would do next to nothing for either of them, only seal the wounds without really treating them, but it was good enough for now. Even the most Ordis himself could do was make a quick fix of Lilith’s damaged prosthetic so she could run far enough away before it gave out again. Nor could he do more but gently wipe away the blood from Alice’s face so she could see with what little vision she had left; revealing that her eye while cut was still mostly intact.

               He’d administer proper treatments for them later, once they were back aboard the Orbiter. And he was very keen on ensuring they got back there sooner rather than later. But _when_ that would be was—

 ** _‘Aha, MAJESTIC! The beast is still a beast even outside his dreams,’_** A voice, playful but overly menacing all the same as it reverberated along the wall of the chamber sounded. The owner without a doubt the crimson shadow he had taken notice of before. Now looming lower and closer, volatile energy spawning in spheres where its ‘hands’ were. And already, from the corner of his vision, he could see that the effects of his Stasis cast slowly beginning to wear off on those banished. **_‘But alas, not so fast. I only just got started plaaaying.’_**

               Ordis shifted his gaze from the shadow, to the girls, and then to his hands; the energy that they’d once been flaring with diminished. He’d used far too much in his ‘battle’ against the gates and now his reserves were practically empty. And unlike his Operators, who could restore theirs and that of their frames quite easily with given resources, he didn’t have such options available. He was going to have to make his next cast count.

               He turned back to both Alice and Lilith, the former already having started to stir and appear confused as to what was going on, and gave his best attempt at a smile. Briefly his ‘eyes’ drifted up towards the Helios sentinel above them. TIM, the usually frantically beeping and fidgeting sentinel, had suddenly gone silent and calm the moment things turned dark. And he knew the very reason why. If the addons he’d made to the sentinel to help in capturing more manifestations if they appeared on their way here to the temple worked as they were meant to, the fact the sentinel was not itself was something he could take advantage of.

               Using all the energy he had left, he cast banish on both sentinel and Tenno, putting them in that thin plane of existence where the energy orbs the shadow… The _Man in the Wall_ now tossed would not be able to hurt them. All while taking the full brunt of the assault himself, barring through the pain with a forced grin and laugh as both Alice and Lilith stood and attempted to do something, _anything_ , only to phase through him as though they weren’t there at all.

               “ _Get them out of here_.” He said to ‘TIM’, continuing to laugh despite the pain that coursed through his body. He wasn’t sure just how much more the Limbo could take. But by the stars he was going push it to the limit if he had to.

               “You really are an idiot Cephalon…” Simaris’ familiar voice spilled out through the sentinel at the same moment a bright yellow beam, similar to the arctraps he’d provided them, shot out of the Helios’ optic core. The energy wrapping around and immobilizing both girls who could only yelp in surprise, unable to so much as struggle against it as they were carried back out through the same tunnel they’d come in. Screaming and crying out to him all the while.

 ** _‘How sweeeet, sparing the little piggys the trip to the slaughterhouse.’_** The Man in the wall taunted, still hovering up above almost lazily. As if it were having the complete time of its life there, looking down on the Cephalon’s frame as more and more possessed members of the Veil came down on him. **_‘But we both know it will never make up for the SINS you’ve committed. The lives you have taken. You will never be free of those, Orrrrdaaaan. You will NEVER be free of that dream.’_**

               He did his best to ignore the taunts, focusing on the members of the Veil that attempted to strike him down. Pushing aside the visions that flashed before him where each masked visage was replaced with the faces of others. Complete strangers, but far too well known to him and his past. They were the faces of those whose bones made up the colossal moon of death he’d erected.

               But now was not the time to be overcome by the dream. Not when there were more lives at stake if he were to let himself slip up. The lives of those he had come to hold most dear to him even after the false love that had been coded into his being eventually eroded away. If he didn’t stop this… This _thing,_ right here and now, it would just go after them, using the void energy that composed Rell’s presence as a gateway. And that was something he just couldn’t allow.

               How was he to stop it? Fighting off the members of the Veil only consumed his own time and strength that he had left controlling his frame. The Man in the Wall seemed entirely unaffected no matter how many he struck down using their own weapons against them. In fact, the more he killed the more _delighted_ the entity seemed. Especially when his movements began to falter. When he struck just a half second slower compared to the start of this bloodshed in hesitation. And especially when he could no longer fully ignore the pain shooting up his arms and became susceptible to the blows of the possessed Veil members.

               His frame was already beyond his limit. Having gotten there a lot sooner than it would have if he’d entered the fray in peek condition rather than as heavily damaged as he was. He should have really let Helminth finish its repair job. Distain for the creature aside, not letting it do so was already proving to have been a fatal mistake.

 ** _‘Such a shame those sweet little things have to deal with the likes of you as their surrogate father.’_** The Man in the wall chuckled darkly, watching as Ordis was impaled from behind, the blade of the nikana that pierced him jutting out from his chest. Ballistica bolts puncturing his thin armored flesh. **_‘The same way this boy had to deal with the likes of the other Tenno. The i'n-kids'_** ** _didn’t care for an invisible 'out' like him. With how alone in the rift he was, he needed a friend. A friend like ME.’_** It continued to laugh. **_‘Perhaps once I’ve finished with you, I can be such a friend to them too. I’d like to think I’m rather good at taking care of kids... Just like I did with Rell here.’_**

               Ordis let out a angered roar as he gripped the blade that had been driven into him, thrusting an elbow backwards to knock back its wielder as he tore it out and used it in his free hand. Attacking in a flurry of animalistic rage with a nikana in each hand. Blood red vision glancing towards the warframe, Rell’s vessel, atop the burning tree that the Man in the Wall seemed so attached to. The chains binding it in place glistening in the flames that lit the tomb.

               There.

               Ignoring the Veil, he ducked and made a break for the set nearest to him. If he destroyed the chains holding the aged warframe in place, no doubt it’s fossilized flesh would begin to fall apart. And without it, if his theory was correct, so would the Man in the Wall’s strength and overall presence.

               Before his intent could be picked up on, he brought the blades he carried down on the chains with as much strength as he could muster. But unexpectedly, they shattered. The chains remaining entirely intact as they glowed and hummed. Only then did he realize as the sound faded: they were embedded with void energy.

               The man in the wall laughed, amused by his failing while Ordis merely clenched his hands. His entire form shaking in both anger towards the being and towards himself. Quickly side stepping and dodging blows from members of the Veil that tried to catch him off guard now that he was unarmed.

 _Idiot_.

**_Idiot Cephalon._ **

               Simaris was right, he was ‘degrading’, reverting to a state that was too _human_ with his misgivings. He hadn’t even done so much as a basic scan of the layout of the temple or tested the energy readings in the room. But he had been so caught up in his bloodlust, in his need to defend his pride and joy, that his thought processes couldn’t focus on anything else. A form of ‘tunnel vision’ that caused for a lapse in his judgement as well as a lack for wanting anything more than to watch the blood of their attackers’ spill and get added to the pools of it already flowing through the temple.

               If he had just done what he was supposed, scanned his surroundings, performed the correct calculations and accessed a logical approach instead of resorting to physical violence—

               No.

               No, violence would have occurred even then. It was an undeniable fact.

               Perhaps if he just attacked the frame directly—

               The wind was knocked out of him then while he was distracted; a dagger wielding member of the Veil tackling him from behind and stabbing him multiple times in succession in the back. Several other members moved in not long after as he began to fight him off. Pinning his arms, legs, and even his head to the floor. Keeping him restrained as they began to…

 ** _Dissect_** _him_ …

               That was the most apt description he could apply to what they were doing now. Digging into him with their blades in a slow and agonizing pace as they pulled back layers of armored flesh in an attempt to cause him as much pain as possible without killing him. But then again, killing a warframe was nigh impossible unless they intended to take him apart completely.

               Despite how much he wanted to cry out, to howl in pain, he held his tongue. He was not going to give the Man in the Wall the satisfaction of hearing his cries.

               He wondered what would happen if the Limbo did die here while he was trapped in it through Transference. Would his mind die as well? Or would he be thrust back into his original home, his core?

               Ordis didn’t very much wish to find out which. And as fate would have it, it didn’t seem like he would today.

               A vibrant hum filled the air as a familiar amber beam caught the corner of his vision. Striking and disintegrating the armor of the Veil member sitting atop him. Knocking him off and allowing him the ability to move again, if only somewhat.

               **_‘Well, well, well, look who’s decided to rejoin the party...’_** Annoyance filled the entity's voice while Ordis could only feel himself become overtaken by dread. His head turning towards the direction the beam had originated as he felt the hold on his limbs begin to loosen.

               There Lilith stood, in the remnants of the same gate they had been carried through not long ago. Alice stood by her side and just behind her along with their warframes, armed and at the ready to fight and defend them. And while part of Ordis was happy they had come back for him, relieved even…

               “ _Get out of here! Go back!_ ” He shouted, but they didn’t listen. Just as they hadn’t listened the time in Suda's datascape.

               Instead, they leapt back onto the platform, their focus on the very chains he had attempted to break himself. But while he had failed, they succeeded with relative ease. It was almost as if they _knew_ what it was they had to do. And perhaps they had known what to do from the very beginning but were unable to with the Veil members interfering.

               As they continued with their work on the chains, their Loki and Banshee frames took care of the remaining possessed fanatics. Keeping them both off of them as well as Ordis once he had been freed.

               “ _Why you little_ —” Ordis wanted to lecture them as he tried to stand. Wanted to let them know that they were only putting themselves in danger again and they should have just left him. But the words never made it out as he collapsed back onto his knees.

               Not far off, he could hear the distinct sound of a sentinel’s propulsion systems as it grew closer until it hovered just overhead. His pain fading as a green glow enveloped him.

               “I would recommend holding still for the time being.” It was Simaris’ voice that spoke.

               Of course.

               Of _course_ he would have come back too.

               Honestly, if this wasn’t such a serious situation right now he’d laugh.

               Only…

               He was _already_ laughing…

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My god, my god, this whole chapter was a pain and I'm not even finished with this whole sequence.
> 
> Can anyone spot the Bloodborne reference?


	12. Chapter 12

               With how quickly Alice and Lilith seemed to be taking care of the Man in the Wall since their return it almost made his attempt of taking the thing on seem laughable.

               Fitting really, considering he couldn’t stop himself from laughing no matter how he tried. Because here he was again, being saved by them for the umpteenth time despite his efforts of trying to keep them out of harm’s way. It was just _funny_ how often this situation seemed to happen any time he tried taking matters into his own hands or when he was left alone for more than a few minutes.

               Torn apart and looted by Grineer, Somatics nearly fried by a Chroma imposter, a hair a way from being permanently erased and overtaken by Hunhow, practically killed by an influx of void energy…

               By the stars, it was almost as though his bad luck streak in his human life had never ended with becoming a Cephalon and just carried over.

               Once the medi-ray Simaris had hit him with did its job of getting him back to a more ‘stable’ condition, he was back on his feet in an instant. Tables having been turned on who was being saved here or not, he wasn’t about to just let them fight his battle—which was technically originally theirs—for him. Even if he was weaponless now, he knew more than well enough how to make do. Bare hands and teeth as he practically ran about on all fours like the beast he had once again become was always viable. As was loosely tying together the cables that hung from his arms and turning them into a makeshift tool for choking out any Veil member within his reach when he began to feel his dull tipped fingers just weren’t cutting it.

               Maybe Lilith’s words about a Valkyr suiting him better had some merit after all. He could always just have adjustments made to the Limbo to better suit his needs.

               Some claws, for starters.

               Time had moved in a bit of a blur for him until he finally realized his Operators had managed to fell all but the last two chains supporting the ancient warframe. At this point it was swaying rather precariously up there amongst the branches; fossilized flesh already beginning to break off and trickle down. A simple kick would be enough to knock the thing loose and send it tumbling to the floor now.

               But Ordis didn’t dare attempt doing so.

               He’d learned from his last attempt of trying to take the vessel down by his own hands. It would be better to just continue helping with keeping the pressure off Lilith and Alice just as their frames were doing; despite being uninhabited by their energy and thus immensely weakened. He could still closely monitor them as he did so to take in any data he could, however limited his frame’s scanners were. Simaris, with his control over TIM, would no doubt pick up on anything he missed seeing as he appeared to be doing the same.

               Yet, even with things no longer in his favor, the Man in the Wall’s tone and demeanor didn’t change in the slightest. Previous annoyance at the girls’ return gone, the creature was still as carefree and condescending as ever.

 ** _‘Rap. Tap. Tap.’_** It cooed, haphazardly shooting out waves of energy that were easily avoided and deflected.

               It was almost as though the thing wasn’t even trying to apprehend them anymore and was studying them the same way Ordis and Simaris now studied it. Almost as if it considered this as all just a game. A game it was losing and yet was still thoroughly enjoying as though there were a hidden Ace up its sleeve.

 ** _‘You’ll let me in, little piggies.’_** It continued to laugh as the last of the chains were broken away. **_‘You always let me in, in the end…’_**

               And just like that…

               It was over.

               The ancient warframe was reduced to dust almost immediately on the spot.

               It was rather… Easy.

_Far too easy._

               The thing had caused them so much trouble and grief with its control over Rell and yet it just up and vanished completely? Just like that?

               Ordis wasn’t buying it.

               If anything, just as he once had been known to do, this was all just a ploy. A part of a bigger scheme that it had conjured within its mind and was just waiting to enact the next step. Make it seem as though he had been defeated, give the Tenno a false sense of victory as it tried to worm its way into their minds.

               That’s what it was doing, wasn’t it?

               It just wanted for their guard to be down, just as _his_ had been after the influx of void energy had destabilized and trapped him within the Limbo. An opening that it could easily slip in through before it… Before…

               What even was this thing’s _goal_ asides from bypassing their somatic guards?

               Drive them to insanity?

               Take control of them as it had inevitably done to Rell?

               Ordis didn’t know, and he didn’t care. And he wasn’t very much willing to wait and find out what it had in store.

               It had already somehow managed to burrow itself into his mind, despite how it was now mostly coding and all, causing him to see things that scanners told him weren’t really there. He wasn’t about to let it do the same with them. Stars knew they’d both seen enough things in life and in their nightmares already. Whatever more this thing could do very well just might push their mental health past the limit.

               So just before the dust could settle, he made a move towards the triumphant duo. Pulling both girls to him in a near vice grip that caught them off guard. To them it may have just seemed as though he were giving them an overly aggressive, but still relieved, embrace. But there was more to it than that.

               The prototype somatic barrier upgrades Simaris had installed in him had a fixed effective range around his person, working almost like an aura.  It was a long shot; whether or not it would protect them as well as he tried to wirelessly tap into the frequency of theirs for a temporary connection. But it was the best he could do in his present predicament. He didn’t exactly have all the resources he’d normally have available to him while trapped within Transference.

               There was also the possibility he could very well just making it easier for the thing considering how it had already infected him. But for fucks sake, he couldn’t just do _nothing_. The fact he hadn’t tried to convince them to upgrade their somatics before coming here, thinking the things he saw had all been his own mind going mad, was bad enough.

               “ _Orrrrdyyyy_! You’re squeezing too _hard!_ ” Alice let out a muffled whine as she squirmed against him. Her injured left eye squeezed shut while her right was just barely able to look up at him from the angle her head had been pressed into his chest. But her attempts at trying to break free only caused for him to press both her and Lilith to himself further.

               “ _Seriously_ , you’re smothering us!” Lilith added on, gritting her teeth and ripping one of her arms free so she could start swinging at the side of his neck. Actual force behind each blow rather unlike the restrained slaps she’d often give him. “ _Let **go**!_ I still need to beat your ass for that self-sacrificing shit you tried to pull!”

               He didn’t let them go.

               Despite the words and movements of obvious discomfort they expressed, he didn’t let go.

               He had to make sure. As their caretaker and with the Lotus’ trust, he had to—

               “Mmmm…”

               The sound of a small voice, one that didn’t belong to either Alice or Lilith, caught him off guard. His grip going lax unintentionally as his gaze shifted about to locate the source at the base of the burning tree. Already mentally preparing to shift back into a more aggressive defensive stance if need be.

               “Ha!” Lilith exclaimed triumphantly, managing to free herself from the Cephalon’s arm prison while he was distracted.

               “ _Lilypad_ —” he started, his tone one of warning. Already in the process of standing up.

               “Don’t _‘Lilypad’_ me!” She snapped, taking another step back, and then another... “What the hell were you thinking—”And then the heel of her prosthetic caught on a root, causing her to fall. “ _Ow! **Fuck!**_ ”

               “D-don’t use bad words…” This time, both Lilith and Alice took notice of it to, heads snapping and eyes going wide at the sight of a ghostly apparition of a young boy. Gentle and bright, but tired and aged beyond normal comprehension. “Mama says it’s not polite…”

               “…Rell?” Lilith blinked in surprise, pushing herself up to stand as she approached his form. From what Ordis could see as he moved with Alice to stand behind her, there were many questions and words just at the tip of her tongue that she didn’t seem able to voice. And just when it seemed she was about to finally say _something_ , he stopped her by placing a hand on her shoulder and giving it a gentle squeeze.

               “You can rest now, Rell.” He said.

               Any desire he had as a Cephalon of wanting to collect data on what now stood before him was pushed aside in favor of his _human_ morals. To fulfill the original intent of this whole ordeal. The boy had been through enough, no need to hammer his lingering mind and oro with questions. Besides, no doubt Simaris was _already_ running extensive scans from where his sentinel hovered just over his shoulder…

               “Mmmm, but…” Rell seemed hesitant. His form shifting as though he were trying to decide just which member of the group he should be looking at. “The Man in the Wall…?”

               “Gone for now.” Ordis replied. While he wasn’t entirely sure himself if that were true, he wanted to put Rell at ease. That was the entire point of all of this, after all.

               “Yeah.” Lilith nodded in agreement, a soft smile on her lips. “We’ll take care of him when he comes back from now on…” She paused for a moment, eyes flickering from Ordis above her then back to the wispy apparition with brows furrowed and lips pursed. “How do you feel?”

               “Mmm…” He seemed to think about it despite looking as though he wasn’t at all listening to what had just been asked. His mind focusing on something else that just wasn’t there and clinging to it. “I feel…This one, Mama…” The stability in his form began to fade then, his apparition slowly starting to dissipate. “I feel… Tired…”

               “Goodnight, Rell…” Ordis softly said in farewell, his grip on Lilith’s shoulder becoming a hair tighter. Imagining, if only just for a moment, that instead it was her or Alice that was passing on. A gray ache forming within his systems before he managed to shrug it off and remind himself that they were alive and well.

               And then…

               He was gone.

               Only the faint trace of void energy left behind. And a hush fell upon the tomb. The kind that would often befall a stretch of land after a horrible storm had finally come to pass. Damp and cumbersome that weighed down on each of them before eventually lifting. Only then, did the silence finally break with relieved sighs.

               “We’re still mad at you.” Lilith muttered under her breath. The words, Ordis knew, not directed towards the recently departed Rell but to him.

               “I know.” He sighed, moving his hand from Lilith’s shoulder and to her head to ruffle her hair. His head tilting to look to Alice who clung to his side and stared up at him, lips pursed into an angry pout. Now that the impending threat of the Man in the Wall and the Veil was gone, he could see where the blood on her face had become streaked by dried tears that couldn’t have been shed not too long ago.

               She’d been crying over him again, no doubt. And just from the way her face scrunched up as much as it could—despite her injury, which would most definitely leave a scar at this point—when he had turned to look at her, she was trying to hide that fact.

               “Let’s go home.” Despite being wounded himself, pain temporarily numbed by the anesthetic Simaris had coated him with, he lifted Alice and Lilith both up into his arms.

               They let out small cries of surprise at first before they eventually allowed themselves to settle in his hold. Too exhausted to do much of anything at this point, let alone protest as they may have normally. Especially in Lilith’s case, seeing as she was the one who’d be complaining most.

               With both girls secure in his arms, Ordis turned towards their two unoccupied frames. Lilith’s Loki had busied himself by poking at the body of some Veil member with a stick while Alice’s Banshee had started collecting the weaponry that had been scattered across the tomb’s floor. But the instant they were mentally called upon by their Tenno, the dropped what they’d each been doing to follow them out. Slowly and at a brisk pace rather than the usual quick and nimble manner. Almost as though they were also exhausted by all that had happened.

               It had been just that kind of a day, really; long and tiring.

               Once they got back to the Orbiter and everything that needed to be dealt with was all said and done—wound treatments, somatic upgrades, mental scans, and data compiling—they were _all_ going to take a good long rest. And a well-deserved one at that.

               But their return trip to the dropships awaiting them was cut rather short. For the instant they made it out of the tomb—

               “Sacred children, bless the stars you are unharmed!”

               Palladino’s voice reached Ordis’ auditory sensors not long after he had boosted them both girls out of the destroyed tomb entrance. And already, he could feel himself getting irritated. Not only had she decided to _finally_ come aboard the ship as she’d initially said instead of stay aboard her own at a safe distance, she dared to say that his children were ‘unharmed’.

_Unharmed?_

**_Unharmed?!_ **

               Was she _blind?!_ Could she not see the obvious injuries they had sustained? Sure, most were superficial with the only serious ones being the damage dealt to Alice’s eye and the large cut to Lilith’s abdomen, but that was beside the point. This woman… It was because of _her_ that they had gotten hurt in the first place with their insistence of going in _alone_.

               His anger must have been apparent because the second she saw him climbing out from the pit, her stance became tense and her questions of what befell Rell turned silent. Her feet shuffling as she took a half step back when her eyes met his gaze.

               “ _You!_ ” Palladino started, her tone suggesting it was she who was the offended party as he started his slow approach towards her. “You breached the sanctity of our sacred temple’s tomb after all, just as the Sentient Queen claimed. _Cephalon_ , you are _very_ lucky—” She stopped before she could even get started, falling silent when his hand had tightly latched itself around her throat and lifted her up off the ground.

               “ _Ordy!_ ”

               “ _Cephalon Ordis!_ ”

               Both Alice and Simaris called out at once. The Cephalon merely hovering there in control of his sentinel while the young girl lurched forward as though to stop him. But Lilith taking hold of her arm stopped Alice dead in her tracks.

               The elder girl said nothing in response to Ordis action. Merely looked on with lips pressed into a thin line and her grip on Alice tight. She was seemingly conflicted by how she should feel about what was happening in front of them. And she had no real desire to stop it, either.

               At first, Ordis did nothing.

               Simply stared at the woman whose life he now held in his hands.

               He could kill her so _easily_ if he wanted.

               Snapping her neck as he held her now wouldn’t be too difficult a task, after all. It would take only a second if he acted quick enough before the girls, their frames, Simaris, or hell even the _Lotus_ , could act.

               He could do it.

_And he **wanted** to._

               Voices in his mind called for her death; holding her responsible for what had happened. Others argued for her life; claiming that she was only acting by the means of which she was raised. That she had no control over the situation and how it had gotten out of hand. That she hadn’t been the one to talk Rell into binding his mind and soul to his warframe. That she was not at fault for what the Man in the Wall had wrought.

               The latter set of voices won.

               Rage and bloodlust would not take him again today.

               So, with little effort he tossed Palladino aside as though she were a mere ragdoll. Her coughing form falling into a slumped pile against the damp bramble that snaked around the Tomb’s entrance.

               Behind him, he could hear a relieved sigh being let out as he knelt beside the Veil Priestess.

               “ _You_ are the one who is lucky, Palladino.” His voice slipped back into the lower octaves of before. Volume that of a whisper and speech deliberately slow so he could be sure she understood every word. “You are lucky that I am not entirely the man I used to be, or else you would be dead where you sit simply for the fact that they _are_ injured, despite what you think.”

               He paused so that the weight of his words could sink in as she only stared at him from behind her veil in silence. He could sense hesitance in her towards her willingness to listen to what he said. But he continued to speak anyway.

               “You may see them as your ‘holy saviors’, but they are more than that. They are what’s most precious to me in this continued existence. The very reason I still live.” He tilted his head in their direction where they stood. Still looking on in concern. “And I will do whatever it is I must to look after them. Not only as their ship Cephalon, but as their guardian. I’m sure you understand, yes?”

               She didn’t say anything to response. Or more accurately: Ordis didn’t give her the opportunity to even try. Before any words could even escape her lips, he’d already gotten back on his feet and was heading back to his Operators, his girls, who he began to take into his arms once more. Alice letting out a content sigh and Lilith murmuring something about him being an overly dramatic idiot and smootherer in the process.

               “If I were you, I would refrain from requesting my children to come to your aid again in the foreseeable future.” He cast one final look to Palladino. “At the very least, until we’ve finished cleaning up after the mess left behind by you and yours.”

               “There is also much data we have gathered that must be revised to determine an appropriate method to deal with this creature whose existence you’ve been keeping to all but yourselves.” Simaris added on, bringing his Helios sentinel closer to the woman as she got to her feet. Completely unaware or ignoring the discomfort she expressed at his closeness. “A deadly but fascinating specimen I never calculated could exist. I require you to divulge any and all information you have on it. I must have this entity made into one of the Sanctuaries many creature additions.”

               Hearing the way Simaris was speaking, Ordis could only let out a sigh.

               It only made perfect sense he would want the murderous and malevolent _monster_ that had caused so much grief as another one of his digital ‘Pets’ in his collection. Why wouldn’t he? Why was it even surprising?

               He didn’t bother to stay and listen to whatever other questions he had for Palladino, choosing to just up and start walking away. Making a good bit a distance before Simaris even realized they had begun to leave without his Helios tagalong.

               Of course, he wasn’t the only tagalong at this point.

               In the back of his mind, Ordis could still very much hear him. The voice that did not belong amongst the sea he already dealt with. A voice that mocked him endlessly as he put up more walls between it and him. The voice of a being that just _shouldn’t_ be.

**_Rap…_ **

**_Tap…_ **

**_Tap…_ **

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We're just a few chapters away to the end of this, everyone.  
> Ordis has grown a lot since the start of this fic, wouldn't you say?  
> Also, Simaris, now is not the time dude!  
> I hope the conclusion with Rell didn't seem to rushed or shoehorned. I just didn't want to change it too much from what happened.  
> Also, I may go back and edit some things in earlier chapters with the Plains of Eidilon update being sometime this week if the new lore requires it.


	13. Chapter 13

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My god this took longer than I had planned.  
> POE dropped and distracted me, and then a bunch of personal things came up.  
> Hope those of you who were being patient can forgive me ;w;

              The dust only really began to settle after their return to the Orbiter. The Man in the Wall not even so much as making a surprise appearance as anticipated.

              Or, at the very least, he hadn’t made himself known just yet.

              Ordis could still feel him there. Clawing in the back of his mind. Just as old parts of himself he’d once denied had done before.

              A hitchhiker of the mind seeking to make him crash.

              He chose to ignore it. Not wishing to cause any alarm to either Lilith or Alice when they hadn’t even so much as said a word to him about having a similar experience. No need to fuel unnecessary paranoia.

              He just focused on the walls he had put up. Repairing any cracks as they appeared. Though it wouldn’t be long before they became too numerous for him to do so. Something he would have to consult Simaris about later, once things had calmed down. And before that, there were still a few things that needed taking care of.

              First order of business, of course, treating the injuries both Alice and Lilith had sustained.

              Lilith’s were the easiest to take care of. Minor cuts and bruising asides from one large gash with most of the damage having been done to her prosthetic legs. Nothing he couldn’t craft and replace with new and better fortified parts in the foundry. That was one of the first things Ordis had seen got up and running once he had re-established his connection to the Orbiter. He would have started it immediately once they had boarded the Liset as he normally would have but…

              He couldn’t of course. Transference loop causing blocked access and all…

              Being trapped within the warframe was only proving to be more of a hinderance the longer he had to endure it.  And while he didn’t necessarily ‘hate’ it, he enjoyed how much stronger the connection to his Limbo was and the increased pleasant sensations, he was beginning to miss the full access and control he once had. Being able to simply flit his consciousness to and from both in mere milliseconds.

              The lack of access and control even proved to be a bit of a hazard when it came time to tend to Alice’s injured eye. Use of invasive tools and anesthesia was required. And in the end, he could only restore 80% of her left eye’s vision. Both because he couldn’t as accurately control the Orbiter medical installments, due to his position, and because of Alice’s… _Uncooperativeness_.

              She had constantly squirmed and whined—and he could hardly blame her considering—until the anesthesia finally kicked in and rendered her unconscious. Even now she was still under its effects; lying in a deep medicated slumber on the couch. Lilith sitting at the edge just next to her, also asleep from exhaustion, with Kavats and Fluffles all huddled and curled up in various positions next to them.

              The sight only made him realize that they should really consider getting an actual bed for the Orbiter.

              But, at least now they would be fine once they came to again.

              Scarred, but fine.

              And at this Ordis allowed himself to let out a large sigh of relief.

              “Cephalon Ordis,” Simaris speaking through his Helios again interrupted his moment of respite. The weight of everything coming down on him again simply from the silence being broken.

              “What is it, Cephalon Simaris?” He asked without so much as turning to look at the sentinel the other Cephalon controlled. Instead opting to continue looking over both girls as they slept. Already having a good idea on where the conversation was going to head before it had ever even started. “Finally decided to cut me from the Weave as you have been considering for the past few cycles? Or do you intend to perform a hard reset on my being with my original brain scan from your archives? I doubt you approved of my actions and consider them part of my ‘degradation’ and ‘compassion’ glitches.”

              “You have become _entirely null_ Ordis.” Simaris said, not really answering the questions asked in the slightest. Seeming to mull over his word choice as though trying to be careful. But Ordis could hear the irritation and mild disgust in the undertones he spoke with. “An antique that should have been decommissioned and slotted away long ago as I had planned for you. You are hardly recognizable as a Cephalon, let alone as an _organic_ creature, now. You are flawed, _mad_ , blinded by petty morality and your own selfish desires… And yet,” The pause he took was enough to cause Ordis to raise his frame’s head to look to the sentinel. “You still _are_ a Cephalon. One wholly dedicated to their given purpose despite ancient precepts and coding having eroded.”

              “… Is this your way of giving a compliment, Simaris?” Ordis found himself asking, taken aback slightly by Simaris’… Admiration…? That was entirely uncharacteristic of him. But then again, he had once saved Suda and himself out of guilt and had downright denied it. So, perhaps it wasn’t so much out of character but another unfamiliar side of the other Cephalon he’d never seen before.

              “No.” Simaris reply was both curt and sincere. Whatever kind and thoughtful air he’d previously had now gone. “I am only speaking on behalf of the combined observations performed by Suda and myself. Albeit, with additional input from a third party.”

              “Third party?” That certainly had his attention, more than Simaris’ random expression of ‘kind’ words. Enough to make him straighten his slouched posture.

              “Do you recall what I had suggested involving repurposing the Orokin spy imbedded in your coding?” Simaris started as a means of reminding him of the conversation they’d had just over a week ago.

              “You mean the idea you decided against in favor or your _own_ safety?” Ordis let out a huff as he leaned against the wall of the Orbiter behind him.

              “I lied.”

              “… What?”

              “I lied.” Simaris repeated. “It _was_ repurposed by another Cephalon besides myself. One who… ‘ _Volunteered’_ for the position of acting as your ‘keeper’ until Suda and I deemed it necessary.”

              “… Not possible.” Ordis shook his head in denial. “I would have detected such an intrusion. Unlike with that… _Thing_.” He held a hand to his head, armored flesh that made up his face shifting and clicking together as though they were teeth grinding together.

              Just what sort of _game_ was Simaris playing at?

              His mind already began its search of the bits of coding that dwelled in the frame for anything that would suggest what Simaris had told him was true. Trying to hunt down the spy program to pinpoint just where it was hiding.

              He’d lost track of where it tended to hide over the years once it had started flying blind. Even willfully ignoring it to a certain extent.

              “Are you _testing_ me?” He asked, his voice so low to the point it sounded almost like a growl before he spoke up. His search not yielding any findings that told him there was truth in Simaris’ words. “Trying to see just how well the mirror has reformed? Trying to elicit responses you can analyze and compare to ones of before to see just how much having all the shards back in place, even if shuffled and warped, has changed me?”

              “… You…” Simaris started after a moment of silence. “Are not making sense.” The way in which the Helios’ optic moved gave off the impression that Simaris was giving him an incredulous look and questioning his sanity. But then again, he had already been doing that since the beginning of all this. “What is this ‘mirror’ you are referring to?” Simaris brought the Helios closer as though he were going to scan him.

              “…Nothing.” Ordis sighed, pondering over the proper way to explain it.  “The ‘mirror’ is just an old… _Analogy_ I use when reflecting on who I was and who I am.”

              “I see...” Simaris continued to study him from behind the Helios’ observant optic. “Imposed disconnection when analyzing yourself.” He stated rather than asked, coming to his own understanding and interpretation of the comparison. “Presently, I would gather the ‘mirror’ shows you as a changed version of the man you were before. Not entirely your previous identity but not fully what you became when your mind was elevated to that of a Cephalon. A ‘warped mirror’… An adequate analogy indeed…” He seemed to muse. “I will be sure to share this new data with Suda. Though I would advise you return to the relay, eventually, and soon favorably, to inform her of these findings yourself.”

              “I believe she’s already familiar with it.” Ordis waved a hand at Simaris’ sentinel in an attempt to get it to back off as he moved away from the wall he was leaning against and into the main body of the Orbiter towards the foundry. “But yes, I suppose she would want an update. But that will have to wait until both my children and myself have recovered. And once you provide the proper somatic upgrades as you promised.”

              He cast a sideways look to the Helios as he began flitting through their component storage and inventory list, seeing what they would have to restock on thanks to that last ‘mission’. Alice’s hormone boosters were beginning to run low and a lot of materials had been used up in modifying TIM as well as the arctraps. And more still were going to be used by Helminth once he allowed his frame to undergo the major repairs he had been avoiding. He could already begin to feel the extent of the damage again as the topical anesthetic began wearing off.

              The Limbo’s, _his_ , self-healing process could only do so much.

               “I made no such promise.” Simaris stated. “The agreement was only that I provide yours with the tech and coding required to upgrade it once for while you were trapped in the Transference loop.”

              “Allow me to rephrase and correct my statement then…” Ordis took in a breath before giving the other Cephalon a sterner ‘glare’ and tone of urgency. “Provide them with consistent upgrades as well or you will find yourself needing to gather new hunters for your sanctuary.”

              “I do not take commands, Ordis.” Simaris replied coldly, almost as though offended Ordis would _dare_ take such a tone with him. Even though it wasn’t exactly anything new or unheard of. “And more importantly, there are plenty of other Tenno qualified for the role of Sanctuary hunter. Tenno Aelies and ZH may be most efficient, but there are plenty others that can take their place.”

              “Do not consider it a command but a personal request; one Cephalon to another.” Ordis softly shook his head, already knowing that in order to convince Simaris to do what he wanted he would have to play towards his interests and sense of logic. And luckily, he knew just how. “Yes, you can replace them. But whomever you choose would have no experience with the creature you’ve now taken such an interest in, would they? They would have no knowledge of the _‘Man in the Wall’_. They and myself are the only ones who have had direct contact with it outside the members of the Veil if you exclude yourself. And even then, your data on it is woefully incomplete. You’ve yet to gather enough to make the correct judgements on how to proceed. It is not like any other target, after all.”

              He allowed himself to take a pause as if to see if this reason was proving to be good enough leverage. But Simaris stayed quiet. And Ordis took this as a sign that he was right about how bringing up that _thing_ indeed was a surefire way of manipulating the ‘greater’ Cephalon. However, he didn’t feel any sense of accomplishment or gratification in doing so as he may have any other time. Only the desire to further get his point across so that Lilith and Alice would get the upgrades needed for their own protection. All while he stared down a familiar entity that stood just behind where Simaris’ Helios floated; bloodied and grinning ever so fiendishly while leaning against the Orbiter’s mod storage.

              “Are you really willing risk exposing more Tenno and their Cephalons connected to the Weave when you haven’t yet the means to properly counteract and capture it?” Ordis continued as he forcibly shifted his gaze back to the sentinel in front of him. Ignoring the laughter that filled his sensors as the image faded. “How will you even defend _yourself_ from it if you can’t even be certain of your own somatic shielding being a match? You would need a pool of beta testers willing to submit to such constant fiddling and fine tuning to find the right frequency—”

              “Enough.” Simaris interrupted before he could go on further, almost as though he were annoyed by how long Ordis had been talking. “You’ve made your point. The logic you’ve presented is sound and I will willingly submit to your request, despite your obvious ulterior motives to protect your Tenno. Or should I also refer to them as your ‘children’ as you have lately?” He put emphasis on the word, as if to point it out to Ordis in case he hadn’t realized this shift in his language for himself. Which, in fact, he hadn’t.

              “I, uh…Thank you, Simaris…” Ordis sighed, deciding to not to make any further comment. But he did feel relieved, even if he had been given something more to think about.

              He _had_ been thinking of the girls—of Alice and Lilith—as his children rather than just as his Operators. The familial love that had defined his need to stay in a position of servitude had always been present, but it never really affected how he referred to them before. But more importantly, how had he not realized it until Simaris mentioned it?

              How curious.

              Did it really just feel that natural to him to think of them that way; as his children?

              Now that the topic was brought up, that _was_ what had kept him sane and from self-destructing all those times while waiting for Alice to wake for so many years. The fact that this abused and enslaved child, _his_ child, needed him and he couldn’t just _abandon_ her for his own selfish reasons.

              Even in his past life he had always been fond of children. And before he’d learned of his ruined blood, he had hoped—

              “Do not thank me.” The sharp edge of Simaris’ words cut through the air. And for once, Ordis was grateful for how attention demanding the other Cephalon’s voice was. If only because it pulled him away from his thoughts before he could drown in them again as he had already begun to. “Just know that I will be expecting further compensation and cooperation from you in exchange for this ‘favor’.”

              “Of course.” Ordis nodded curtly in agreement. “I am assuming that means you’ll be requesting my child—my _Operators_ to run hunts for you more frequently?” He corrected himself with a clenched jaw.

              “That is only scratching the surface of it.” Simaris said as his Helios began circling around Ordis’ frame in a slow and almost lazy pattern.

              “Oh?” Ordis crossed his arms “You expecting more?”

              “Testing and upgrading somatic changes at a frequent rate is a time-consuming process that utilizes resources that could have been spent on updating Sanctuary.” The Helios came to a halt. “So yes, I expect much more from you in return, Ordis.”

              “I’m not going to be your steward, Simaris.”

              “That is not what I’m demanding. It is not _you_ that I want in exchange.” Simaris stated firmly. “It is all the data contained in your core. As well as your core itself.”

              “What?! That’s— ** _Go to hell!_** ” Ordis snapped. “ _That’s the **same** exact thing! _ That’s no different from having me taken away from my children to be your steward!” He practically growled. Mandibles clicking together in anger as his hands balled up into fists.

              “An incorrect assumption.” Simaris seemed to huff in annoyance. “Your core would be within the Sanctuary where I and my ‘assistant’ can more easily monitor and contain you, yes, but you would still have access to your Orbiter. In very much the same way Suda and myself are able to interact with Tenno in multiple instances at once via relay hubs.” The actual process was more complex than that, but Ordis understood without the full explanation. More than likely, the only reason Simaris wasn’t going into full detail himself was probably because he sensed the exhaustion he was enduring and was treating him the same way he would a Sanctuary hunter out of pity. Like an organic. “That is of course after the issue of the Transference loop is corrected and such a hub can be installed aboard your Orbiter. There are still a few methods of doing so Suda and I have yet to test.”

              “… Fine.” Ordis turned away from the Helios, his clenched hands falling limp at his side. Questioning Simaris’ sudden change in wanting to have him so close—when previously he’d wanted nothing more than for him to keep away for his own safety—wasn’t something he really felt like doing right now.

              “Good.” Simaris let out a satisfied hum as what looked like a glint appeared in the Helios’ optic. “And one more thing…” He called out when Ordis had begun moving away.

              “What now?” He sighed.

              “You will be returning my Helios once you and your Tenno return to the relay.”

              “I don’t think I can do that.” Ordis couldn’t help but chuckle despite how frustrated he had been moments ago. “The girls have grown quite attached to 'TIM'. Giving him back would just make them sad.”

              “The emotional state of your 'children' is not my responsibility, Ordis.” If Ordis didn’t know any better, he would say Simaris was rolling his nonexistent eyes at him. “You will return my sentinel. And that is the end of it.”

              Before Ordis could say more, the sentinel’s energy flashed twice, its optic shifting about as confused whirls escaped its vocal processor. Excited chirps then following once the optic fell on his frame and the Helios began circling around him excitedly.

              Simaris had released his control over TIM. Trying to continue the conversation was thus pointless.

              There was still the chance he could still hear him of course, which he obviously could, but Ordis decided to drop it. No need to poke the kubrow den when it was better to leave it dormant for now.

              Now left to his own thoughts again, Ordis found himself wandering through the Orbiter. His mind reeling back to Simaris’ statements on how he referred to his Operators had changed. But more than that, it drifted back further to the event that must have triggered it. The encounter with that _Thing_ in the Red Veil temple. The subsequent revival of his blood lust, physically manifesting like an automatic defense mechanism as he carved his way through the members of the Veil that had succumbed to its control. Not at all caring for the lives of those he cut down.

              He had already deemed and come to the conclusions that his actions hadn’t been the best. But had he been right to kill them as he did?

              Yes, they were under its control. They were trying to kill him, trying to kill his _children_ even.

              He was reminded of the visions again.

              Their masked faces replaced with those of innocents he had slaughtered in the past.

              But this was different.

              It was different. It _WAS_ different.

              He’d been given no choice!

              It wasn’t at all like back then where he had done so all for his own selfish plans!

              And it wasn’t as though the members of the Veil were innocent either. They tortured, they killed, they _massacred_ even. They were no better than he’d once been in a way before he’d taken the first step down that unredeemable path.

              And yet…

              Why did it make him feel even more like a _monster_? Like the bloody _Beast of Bones_?

              Still being thickly coated in the bloodshed didn’t help. The most he had been able to clean up were his frame’s hands and arms so he could begin treating the girls’ wounds.

              Putting himself through the same sanitation procedures he would have the girls’ frames go through after a mission came to his mind. But he immediately dismissed the thought. His mind and gaze instead drifting to the open doorway he now found himself standing in front of.

              It was the lavatory that had been installed not long after Alice and Lilith had awoken from cryo. The very room he’d broken down in when he’d looked at his reflection. Where he had first realized just how broken he truly was and how trying to ignore his past was only hurting him more as Lilith had said.

              It had all happened less than a month ago. But it felt like a lifetime. The same way the last time he’d actually taken a proper bath was.

              Looking down at his bloodied frame once more, he took a step forward.


	14. Chapter 14

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hhhhhhnnnng, sorry this took so long AGAIN. Holiday season, amiright? Just drains the life out of ya. Thank you to those of you still following this fic. ;w;

 

               The sound of running water filling Ordis’ sensors was a genuine comfort in place of silence. Of course, the Orbiter was never truly quiet to begin with. The air always filled with the hum of machinery and energy of the void. Sometimes even music softly playing in the distance on the Somachord within the girls’ quarters. But when one was used to hearing such things constantly, it was easy for them to fade into the background when thoughts were occupied.

               He would have preferred the sounds of the rift to ease his mind since it had worked in the past, but that would be rather counter-intuitive. He couldn’t exactly wash away all the blood and grime that had become embedded in his frame while in the rift. And from what he could remember, showers were often where organic beings, particularly humans, tended to do a lot of their thinking wasn’t it?

               As the remnants of his recent gruesome deeds were stripped away from his being, so to were many of the thoughts that plagued him as they were brought into the light. Wretched out in a similar fashion to the broken tip of a dagger that he’d found buried within the techno-organic platting of his back. Letting his frame’s own blood flow freely from the freshly opened wound the same way the wounds his mind still bore would always bleed.

               No matter what he did now, no matter how he regretted it, he would never be able to wash away the brutal slaughters he’d committed in his past life. They would always haunt him, those innocents he had struck down for his own selfish and self-destructive purpose. Their souls forever lost to the void as each step he took in this life was echoed by the cracking of their bones underfoot. And he deserved nothing less.

               But it didn’t bother him anymore. Not to the same extent.

               The moon of rib and skull they formed would always overshadow him, but it was not the only thing that defined him. It had taken him a painfully long time to realize that for himself while others, Alice and Lilith in particular, had done so rather easily.

               He was not just a killer, shrouded beneath the guise of an eternally remorseful and seemingly immortal being. He was more than that.

               He was capable of so much more than simply death and destruction even if it did follow him in his every step. He was both Ordan Karris and Ship Cephalon Ordis rolled into one. Protector and caretaker of his Tenno children who depended on him. An entity filled with and made up of love. A part of him he had once used to try and bury the rest as the fragments he had peeled away slowly resurfaced. But even with all the pieces fitted back together, it still what ultimately, truthfully, defined who he now was in this new life.

               Even with this ugly side of him brought to light, they still loved him unconditionally. Accepted his faults and wanted only for him to get better and try to accept them as well. To stop him from hurting himself in his denial and fragmenting his memories whenever the opportunity arose.

               The methods they had used were not perfect, of course. With some conditions being entirely non-ideal and even life-threatening. But they had been right to force it on him.

               Because even while in pain with a frame on the verge of falling apart—something he really should see to getting rectified—he felt the most whole than he had in a long, _long_ , time.

               And wasn’t that the best thing he could have hoped for to come out of all this? For him to ultimately feel more like ‘himself’? To feel ‘happier’? Genuinely happy rather than gritting his ‘teeth’ with a forced ‘smile’ as he put on an act for their sake? It was all Lilith or Alice had hoped for as well.

               Feelings of true and complete happiness, however, were still just out of reach. If only because of the situation involving the ‘Man in the Wall’ still lingering. But Ordis reminded himself that would be over with soon enough once Simaris came through with his end of their agreement. It was only a matter of time once they arrived to the relay and tried whatever method they came up with to put an end to the Transference Loop. Then this entire nightmare could finally be over and they could return to life as usual.

               Well… _Life_ at the very least. There wasn’t really anything ‘usual’ when it came to living with Tenno.

               “Upset this will be the last time you’ll be able to follow me throughout the ship?” Ordis spoke with more energy than he’d had previously towards the whining sentinel behind him; the shower having done wonders in elevating his mood and relieving at least a little bit of exhaustion. “Or are you happy you’ll be returning to your owner after all this time?” Fingers scrapped into the gaps of his frame’s mandibles as he looked over them in the mirror as he checked whether or not he had managed to properly clean the blood from their crevices.

               In hindsight, ripping out that one Veil members throat with them really hadn’t been the best decision. But there wasn’t much he could do about it now.

               TIM continued to let out several chirps and whirs that were several pitches lower than the norm as Ordis cleaned the bits of metal that jutted from his flesh. Hovering somewhat lower and lower until he was barely at shoulder height on Ordis’ frame. Going so far as to even bump into it as though he were leaning against him for support in an overly dramatic manner.

               “You’re _actually_ upset?” Ordis chuckled, mandibles flaring somewhat as though in an attempt of a smile. “Now _that_ is a surprise. I thought you’d be thrilled to return to the Sanctuary.” He physically turned to look at TIM briefly before back towards the mirror. Weeks ago, he probably would have felt apprehension standing before it. Even fear of having another episode and smashing it just as he had the last. But now? Now there was just worry of something that shouldn’t be there appearing alongside his reflection.  “Started to enjoy the free roam a bit too much or—”

               The mechanical locks of the door hissing as it opened caused him to fall silent as his attention turned towards the door to see what had triggered the sensors.

               Ordis’ first thought was that it was perhaps one of the girls kavats, or even Fluffles the charger, having sniffed him out and come to the bathroom in hopes of demanding food from him. Considering how both of their mistresses were either medically sedated or down for the count by some other means it wasn’t an illogical train of thought. Hell, he had practically anticipated it to happen while he was still in the shower. But what stood in the doorway was neither kavat or strange kubrow/infested abomination.

               What stood in the doorway was a very pale and almost lost looking Lilith.

               “Be it far from my place to remind you of the common courtesy that is knocking, Lilypad.” He chided softly and in a joking manner to the girl. Recalling how before he’d learned to give both her and Alice their privacy when it was needed they’d yell similar things of that nature at him. Though in those cases he would be trying to speak with them via the Orbiter’s coms instead of actually _walking_ in on them. But even then, assurances that he had turned off his visual feed of the room changed nothing in how they reacted.

               Lilith didn’t seem to pick up on his humor, however. Nor did she seem to have heard him at all based on how she stared at him vacantly with hollow eyes. Almost as though she were looking _through_ him rather than _at_ him.

               “Everything alright?” Ordis asked, the faint traces of mirth falling from his voice. The sentinel beside him even letting out whirls of concern. “Do your wounds need—”

               “You were gone.” She spoke softly but firm as her fingers clenched around the edges of the metal doorframe. Her grip so tight Ordis could swear her knuckles must have turned white beneath her suit’s gloves. “I woke up and you were _gone_. And when I called you didn’t answer!” Finally her gaze shifted so that her eyes met what acted as the equivalent of his own. Revealing how behind the angered tone she spoke with with the fear she was trying to conceal.

               “I’m… Sorry Lilith,” Ordis began, taken aback by Lilith’s behavior. Her yelling at him wasn’t anything new, but something was… Off.  Perhaps it was just the result of all they had just been through confusing him and looking for any sort of tell something wasn’t right. It wasn’t as though he himself was in the best condition right now, even if he had cleaned up. “But my connection to the Orbiter’s main systems is still fairly constricted.” He continued to explain nevertheless. “I didn’t reply because I didn’t hear your call. I haven’t had the time to retune myself to the audio processors onboard. Other functions and needs deemed more important were my top pri—”

               “Wait.” She interrupted before taking a brief pause and squinting her eyes “... Were you taking a shower?” She looked him over, as though only just now noticing the lack of blood covering his person..

               “I, uh… Yes...” Ordis fumbled slightly with his hands, realizing now just how odd that must seem. The fact that not only she, but now TIM, were staring at him in complete silence didn’t help either.

               “... Weirdo.” Lilith finally said with a yawn and roll of her eyes before stepping into the room. But not without nearly tripping and face-planting in the process.

               “Ah—ah! I got you.” Ordis assured, taking her by the arm and steadying her. A simple glance was all it took to see she was utilizing the damaged prosthetic and that it was the cause of her fall. Though he shouldn’t have expected her to be using anything less considering the new still wasn't complete. And he highly doubted she would just hop around the Orbiter as though she were a living pogo stick.

               “Your voice is different.” Lilith then said without so much as acknowledging how she had nearly made good acquaintance with the floor. Opting to instead to point out the difference in his bass pitch despite his best efforts to revert it to how he had sounded before the temple incident; back to the default preset the Orokin had set for his voice.  The change should have been aparrant before, but with more pressing matters to deal with she must have not noticed till now.

               “ _Really?_ ” Ordis feigned ignorance as he lifted up Lilith’s damaged prosthetic leg to look it over. Shifting and altering his voice further in whatever way he could till he believed it sounded just ‘right’. “I don’t know what you’re talking about in the _slightest_ , Operator. My vocal processor is still the same _Octavia_ it has always been!” The title of ‘Operator’ felt odd on his ‘tongue’ despite how he’d used it so consistently before. “I think maybe you need to have your hearing checked. I can easily set up the equipment needed to do so back—”

               “ _And_ you’re not using third person!?” Lilith further exclaimed, almost panicked, as Ordis was in the midst of scooping and lifting her up. Not something that was too good for him given the state of his frame, but he couldn’t very well let her continue to try and walk around with that leg of hers. Though she seemed to think otherwise and began putting up a fight. More so than she usually would, in fact. “Hey! Stop that! Put me down! _Put me down! Put me_ **_down_ ** _!_ ”

               “Operator— _ow_ _—_ Lil — _Ow_ _—_ I’m just — **_OW!_ ** ” Ordis couldn’t so much as finish his sentences with how she kept swinging and hitting him where he was most injured. She actually seemed to be applying a great bit of force to her blows even after he had finally set her back down. _“STOP!_ ” Hearing him snap finally put an end to Lilith’s assault, her hands just barely making contact with him one final time before coming to a halt. “You can stop, now, Lilith.” He said a bit more calmly but still somewhat irritated at having become a punching bag for seemingly no reason.

               “... Don’t… Don’t do that again.” Was all Lilith said after a moment’s pause. Not even so much as an apology as she just looked to the floor; gritting her teeth as her hands rose to clasp themselves over her ears. “I can handle myself just fine.”

               Ordis titled his head at the girl, suspicion as to what was wrong filling him with concern. Some of the conclusions he came to even filling him with rage as thoughts of that horrid entity that had been plaguing him was now doing the same to Lilith. It would certainly explain her behavior, why she now looked at him as though he were a stranger.

               He had done so much to keep it away from her, from them, how had it managed to worm its way in nevertheless despite his best efforts? The thoughts gnawed at him, voices within his own mind laughing at his possible failure that he pushed away as far as he could till they were at the barrier’s edge where they belonged. His consciousness splitting to tend to his somatics as he began reaching out towards Lilith.

               She jumped slightly when she caught sight of his movement, stiffening as he drew near and his fingers gently brushed against the side of her face. A simple gesture that was a precursor to his true intent of cupping her face in his hands and pulling her closer. Once again, drawing her into where the aura of his somatic barrier would cover her as well. Where he could be sure she’d be safe from whatever visions plaguged her as he mended the cracks to hold his own at bay.

               It did nothing but put further strain on him and would continue to do so until he got them to Simaris at one of the relays.  But he would put up with it for her. And Alice too if need be. For them, as he had already proven countless times over, he would put up with anything to keep them safe and happy.

               Because in the end, the key to his own happiness—along with the much needed self-acceptance—was their own.

               Because to him, they meant more than anything.

               “It’s just us here, Lilith.” Ordis felt the girl herself relax in his hold as he spoke, her own hands reaching up to squeeze at his frame’s wrists as he knelt in front of her. “Just you, and me, no one else,” he received an interjection from TIM in the form of a whine. “Except TIM.”

               “Right, right, yeah… No one else... No one else...” Lilith nodded and let out a slow breath. However, despite her own words, she didn’t look entirely convinced. Her gaze downcast and refusing to make eye contact with him as her grip on his wrists tightened somewhat. “You’re still different… Kinda...” She muttered in an attempt to change the subject; forefingers absentmindedly rubbing at grooves and bumps along the back of his hands. “I think, you have been since the temple… Since fighting the Man in the Wall...  I don't know how to explain it.”

               “There’s no point in trying to hide it from you, is it?” Ordis chuckled softly. “But I would hope it is the _good_ kind of different.”

               “... Do _you_ think it’s good?” Lilith countered, giving him a look.

               “... Yes.” He said in answer. Wanting to go more into detail but feeling that the word alone would be more than enough for the time being. “Why don’t we get you back to the couch so you can nap?” He lifted a hand away from her face and gently ruffled up her hair. “I doubt you’ve nearly rested enough.”

               “I will, I will, you don’t need to tell me what to do.” She swatted both his hands away in that instance. Her defiant demeanor returning as though everything was normal. “And what about _you_ ?” She roughly jabbed a finger at his chest, once again agitating one of his many wounds and drawing out a hiss of pain.“Are you just gonna _stay_ like that? You look like a Grineer someone’s Ash went Blade Storm happy on.”

               “I’ll get them dealt with, you needn’t worry yourself over me.” Ordis pushed away the offending finger before she could jab it at him again. “It is I who should be worrying over _you._ ”

               “What makes you think I’m worried?” Lilith practically sniffed and turned her nose up in a way that made it quite obvious that she did. “And I don’t need _you_ worrying over me _._ Just go get yourself fixed by Helminth before you’re not even able to move anymore. I’m not going to waste void energy on rezzing you.”

               “That was the plan until you arrived.” Ordis said as he stood, easing himself up off the ground rather slowly. “You needed me for something, didn’t you? You did say you were calling for me before you made your way over. Let me see to that first and then I’ll—”

               “I don’t need you.” Lilith cut off in a curt manner. “I don’t need you for anything. I just wanted to know where you were.”

               “Oh, well… I suppose you not needing me is a good sign, considering...” Ordis’ mandibles clicked together and fidgeted in a disgruntled manner.

               “Yeah, I guess.” Lilith shrugged. “... Do you think she’ll be okay when she comes to?”

               “Delirious at first." Ordis began, knowing it was Alice she was asking about. "Perhaps a bit more dissacocitive than normal for a while given what was endured. But I doubt she will be in as much shock as you were upon first waking from your cryo sleep.” He lightly pet Lilith’s head assuringly. “If anything, we need only be concerned on how she copes to her damaged eyesight. Should she choose to have us not pursue a trustworthy Corpus doctor willing to repair what I could not.”

               “Okay.” Lilith nodded her head as though making a mental note of that information.

               “Would you like me to walk you back?”

               “No.” Lilith nearly snapped as she pulled away from his hand that had been reaching to take hold of her arm.

               “Lily—” Ordis started, worried that the moment she left his vicinity and out form the cover of his somatic aura she would be plagued with whatever visions had been causing her distress. Or more likely, she would fall over again.

               “I told you, I’m fine! I can take care of myself!” She held her hands up defensively as she began stepping back. Once again nearly, tripping when one of the parts of her damaged leg didn’t mesh quite right with the rest. “You just… Go make nice with Helminth and get yourself fixed.”

               “I will be unavailable for quite some time, Lilith, are you certain there isn’t anything you or Alice may need before I am put under?”

               “We’ve got leftovers from yesterday we can just reheat and the Lotus on speed dial. We’re good. Now _go!_ ” She made one final shooing motion with her hand before she took her leave. And a certainly less than graceful and hasty exit at that. As though trying to make it quite clear that she didn't need him hanging around her like he so believed.

               Ordis leaned outwards into the hall, watching as she made her way back to the room before letting out deep sigh. Shifting when TIM, who had been hovering just over head, began making some rather concerned trills and beeps.

               “You don’t believe a single word she said either, do you?” He asked the sentinel as it started hovering at eye level with him once more. “Well, that makes two of us.” He stared down the hall to the closed door of the adjacent room one more time, fighting off the urge to follow and make sure everything was alright.

               If he did, Lilith would no doubt just get upset with him. And she was right about how he needed to get his frame repaired before the Limbo just stopped being able to move entirely. Just being able to stand perfectly upright was beginning to feel like a struggle.

               So before he could delay it any longer and risk being unable to do _anything_ ,, he made his way across the hall.

               The door slid open with some resistance as it dragged along the technocyte masses of flesh within. The dim lights within flickering to life as he took that first tentative step forward and immediately closing behind him; locking TIM out in the hall.

               The infirmary chair, Helminth itself, sat waiting with open arms. Beckoning at him in a voice that seemed to come from nowhere yet everywhere. All of it making Ordis feel somewhat sick from how simply disgusting it all was. And knowing what he was about to go through didn’t make the feeling pass any quicker. But at the very least, fact he could put himself under for diagnostics during the whole ordeal brought some comfort.

               Without a word, he eased himself into the presented seat. Shivering as claws and appendages latched onto and locked him in place. Spindly growths of infestation splaying across his body and then burrowing into the armored flesh in search of nerve endings to entwine and merge with. Spreading like the virus that it was through him and pumping the frame full of new cells that began destroying and replacing those that had been damaged.

               But the entire process had yet to begin.

               His head was pulled back rather sharply by an unseen appendaged as more growths burrowed their way into him. Others, clawed and otherwise, rising up and moving ever so slowly towards his ‘face’. And as they approached, a thought crossed Ordis’ mind that caused him to speak up and caused the infested creature to take pause at the request he made it.

               But it paused for only just a moment. All Ordis could only hope that it understood what he’d asked as he let himself drift into deep diagnostics.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Not sure how much longer I have left for this fic tbh. Next chapter may very well be the end! (because yes, i have a solution to the transference loop problem) And I'm unsure whether or not I'm going to make the second arc as planned with Jordus. May wait to see what's up with the Sacrifice quest as I plan it out first. Cause I mean, that Apostasy Prologue oooh boy. That's some hints to some deep fucking lore coming.


	15. Chapter 15

               He came online with a distorted scream through audio synthesizers. A scream so loud that it reverberated off the walls and back to his auditory receptors in an undulating echo.

               Pain.

               He felt nothing but a sharp pain that felt like it would split him right to pieces all over again.

               But just as quickly, it faded and left him feeling weightless. Weightless and disoriented as something outside himself reached out across the Weave to steady him. Holding him close while still keeping its distance. Easing him back into accepting the flow of processes and precepts that rushed and threatened to overtake him.

               The presence that held him was familiar. One that at first brought him a sense of calm as he latched onto it, letting it pull and guide him out of the sea of confusion he was drowning in. A calculated, yet caring, consciousness that was only one of many looking on that wordlessly told him everything was going to be fine.

               That he, Ordis, was going to be fine.

               But once he recognized _who_ it was, remembered what happened not mere seconds earlier, rage begin to rise within. And sensing it, the other withdrew from him immediately as all fell to silence.

               “S-S̕im-̧Si͜m҉aris... _,”_ Ordis stuttered once his digital avatar—a form more cracked and distorted than ever—managed to materialize itself in the allotted space given to him. He had access to the situation through several means with the sensors the hub granted him. But the desire to give himself some sort of ‘physical’ form now that he was bodiless once more was greater than that fact.

                _Why_   washe bodiless?

               He still felt… _Disoriented_. Out of place.

               Just—Where _was_ he?

 _'Luranda’_.

_Oh!_

               Right…

               Luranda…

               They had gone to Luranda after the events of the Red Veil temple less than… A week ago was it?

               Yes. It had been a week.

               In that time, they—Ordis and the girls—had stayed at the relay while Orbiter renovations were performed. Ordis’ core was removed as what once was his storage area aboard the ship was repurposed to a _proper_ living space. One with a smaller hub acting as his connection to the Orbiter at its center.

               Ordis had been tethered to Simaris’ Sanctuary wing in the relay for all of that time. Practically shackled and confined to the other Cephalon with the room inaccessible to all others but them; directing anyone who had business with him to visit the other relays he had connections to.

               Simaris had left him and the girls be for the most part. Making his presence scarce yet still well known even without his hard light projection illuminating the large empty space. Quietly observing them while he, Suda, and any other Cephalon they had pulled from the Weave—the little spy included—plotted a ‘cure’ for his Transference dilemma after he had kept to his promise involving the Somatic upgrades.

               Until today.

               “ _W-What. Did. You._ **_Do_ ** _?_ ” Ordis snapped having finally caught himself back up to speed as to what happened.

               “NOTHING MORE THAN WHAT WAS PROMISED YOU.” Simaris’ larger projection leaned over his as imposing as could be. “I HAVE FREED YOU FROM THE TRANSFERENCE LOOP THAT HAS KEPT YOU HINDERED.”

               “And **_this_ ** was the _grand_ solution the conjoined research of yours and Suda accomplished, Simaris?!” Ordis countered, boiling anger already leveling out to a mild simmer as he continued to settle in. Part of him reaching out to his Orbiter and getting reacquainted with its systems—feeling at home once again—while the rest of him kept its attention to what was happening within the room.

               Couldn’t help but silently chuckle a little at Fluffles’ reaction to hearing him over the intercom, though.

               “IT WAS THE QUICKEST SOLUTION A WILLING MEMBER OF OUR KIN TESTED WITH PROMISING RESULTS AND LITTLE RISK OF PERMANENT DAMAGE AFTER THE SHOCK.” Simaris went on to explain, seemingly annoyed from the lack of appreciation he was getting. “WE DID NOT WANT TO RISK THE POSSIBILITY OF WAITING MUCH LONGER FOR ANOTHER SOLUTION WHEN THE CHANCE OF THE LOOP BECOMING IRREVERSIBLE THE LONGER IT WAS IN EFFECT BEING EVER PRESENT.”

               Ordis was only half listening to Simaris’ words; taking them into consideration but still angered enough to not take them for what they were after what he had just gone through. He could see the unmoving form of his Limbo quite clearly where it limply sat. Cables connecting it to his new hub in the same manner it had once connected to the Transference Apparatus.

               “WAS IT NOT EFFECTIVE?”

               “Effective? Yes,” Ordis agreed, wanting to ask just how he or Suda had tested this method but decided against it. Any answer the other Cephalon gave him would only cause him to ask more while stirring up his temper.

               It just baffled him.

               Who would have thought the ‘mighty’ Simaris—notorious for death and destruction through cleanly digitizing targets for eternal preservation—would be perfectly fine with having blood spilt upon his floors.

               “Still _murder_.”

               If he had the arms to do so, he would have gestured to his Limbo for emphasis. The frame as dead as any technocyte organism could be after having its head torn off.

               Life could be restored to it rather easily as with all other frames should the conditions be correct. He had viewed Lilith and Alice do so with their own many times using the energy that flowed through them. Once the Limbo ‘breathed’ once more, he would return to controlling it just as he had before as though nothing happened. But having his frame, and by proxy himself, ‘killed’ wasn’t what bothered him most. Even if it had _fucking_ hurt.

               It was the _execution_ of it.

               And of course, just who it was that had been the _executioner_.

               “Alice,” His tone immediately shifted as his focus turned to her small form—Even smaller now that he had regained his previous perspectives—kneeling at her Banshee’s side and holding his decapitated head within her hands. Her hollow white eyes staring blankly at the dim split nodes of energy that once were aglow above his scarred maw.

               It would have been better if Lilith had been the one to act as Simaris’ proxy for this. Ordis even _wished_ she had been the one to do so.

               Alice had only _just_ gotten out of the defunct state the temple had thrust her into. She hadn’t been herself _at all_ since then without any of her usual cheerfulness and laughs. Instead she had been quiet and distant, the same as she had been when she’d first woken from the dream and found herself not to be what she’d initially thought.

               Yes, it would have been better if it had been Lilith. But the elder girl had gone off to complete a mission for the Lotus on her own—She’d been doing so quite often actually in her increasingly sour mood—while leaving behind Alice to look after _him_ until she got back. Indirectly resulting in the situation at hand.

               “I just want you to know I don’t hold you at all responsible for this,” Ordis assured when she finally stood, and turned her gaze to his projected form; a sight she had not seen in quite some time. Taking a few careful steps forward to place a gloved hand on its warm surface. A gesture he could not feel but wished he could. Already longing for the revival of his frame so he could more properly console her. “Seeing as _Simaris_ put you up to it.”

               He ‘side-eyed’ the other Cephalon harshly. Though he was surprised when Simaris didn’t say anything in response. His hard light avatar just silently hovering. Waiting. _Starring_.

               When was that self-righteous prick gonna chime in and gloat?

               “You’re here.” Alice commented quietly.

               “Yes, I am.” Ordis forced a brief chuckle for her sake. Half expecting at any moment Simaris to speak up and once again claim credit for the success. He anticipated it even. “I’m here.”

               Alice stared at him silently for a moment more before a bright smile suddenly formed on her face.

              “You’re here! You're back!” She was positively beaming with delight now. The intensity of the glow behind her eyes only adding to the joyful radiance she now projected as she attempted to hug his projection. “It worked!”

               “OF COURSE IT DID.” There it was. There was the awaited response. “I WOULD NOT STEER YOU WRONG IN SUCH MATTERS, HUNTER AELIES.” Simaris’ projection moved closer so that Alice’s form was entirely backlit in his orange glow before she turned. Encompassing her and looking down at her frail true self he had come to grow ‘acquainted’ with in the past week. “NOW THAT HE HAS OVERCOME THE INITIAL SHOCK, IT IS—”

               “I can speak for myself, Simaris.” Ordis cut him off, silently prodding him through the Weave as a means to get his projection to back off and give Alice some space. While she may be fine with his usual invasive personality, being sandwiched between two Cephalon constructs was far from comfortable for anyone. Used to their presence or not.

               “THAT MUCH IS TRUE INDEED, YES.” Simaris affirmed while he set up a barrier against his advances. Despite having wanted to keep him close he still wanted no form of direct contact or interfacing. “BUT JUST HOW MUCH OF YOURSELF HAS FULLY READJUSTED? THERE ARE SEVERAL TESTS SUDA AN I DEVISED THAT NEED TO BE RUN TO ENSURE NO ADDITIONAL DAMAGE HAS BEEN INFLICTED TO YOUR CORE DATA.”

               “I doubt there is much more than what was already present. Not that it would make much of a difference.” Ordis let out a half hearted chuckle. Barely taking note of Alice seating herself in the fallen Limbo’s lap; attempting to realign the head with its neck once her Banshee had secured a small med pad to its chest. The device injecting the frame with a weak strain of Helminth's repairing technocyte to aid in the frame's revival. “I feel fine, Simaris. If I didn’t know better I’d say you were suffering a ‘compassion glitch’ again with how you’re worrying over _my_ well being.”

               “NO GLITCHES.” Simaris insisted in a rather deflective manner. “I KEEP MYSELF FAR TOO WELL MAINTAINED FOR THOSE. REMEMBER WHAT HAPPENED BEFORE? MY INTENTION IS TO ENSURE ANY FUNCTIONALITY PROBLEM RESIDING WITHIN YOU _STAYS_ WITHIN YOU AND YOU ALONE. ADDITIONAL MEMORY AND EMOTIONAL LEAKS THAT COULD AFFECT MYSELF AND OTHERS WITHIN THE WEAVE IS SOMETHING I WISH TO AVOID. THAT IS THE VERY REASON YOU ARE NOW BEING CONTAINED HERE FOR THE PROTECTION OF OTHER CEPHALONS VIA PRECEPT 44'S EXENTSIONS OF PRESERVING OUR KIND.”

               “ _Rittght_...” Ordis’ projection bobbed up and down somewhat in semblance to a nod; taking Simaris words with a grain of salt. If anything, he could always go behind the other Cephalon’s back and talk with Suda to see what she had to say about his behavior. They were rather _close_ nowadays. Especially after the events of Hunhow's attempted overtaking of Suda. “Either way, whatever tests you and Suda had in store for me wouldn’t— _G̴a͢-̧a̢h- **A̧̯̘̗H̢͍̹̯̤͕̰̟!̧̞**_ ”

               Additional sensory feedback reigniting caught him off guard as he felt a searing pain spark through his processes. It was a blinding, burning, pain. Almost as though he were beneath the flame of a welding torch. Both melting yet pulling him apart; stretching till he snapped back into place with processes out of sync.

               All of this in a matter of milliseconds.

               He could hardly tell what was happening until visual receptors flickered on briefly, displaying an entirely different perspective than the Omnipresent one of the room.

               Alice’s face.

               Concentrated with lips pursed.

               Impossibly close to…

               To _him_...

               “ _A̶l̷ ̢i̡ — AL̵I͢C҉E͘!_ ” His voice cracked with static as he focused on the source.

               Limbs sparking back to life as the frame spasmed and contorted under his control. Hands snapping up to clasp over the smaller ones aglow with the void’s energy against his neck. A small surprised yell escaping from the girl they belonged to at the unexpected contact.

              “S̵top…!̶ Please…!” Ordis begged almost breathlessly. Still feeling as though his systems were on fire. Feeling every disconnected nerve ending in his neck, every mock vein, burning and throbbing.

              “ _Ordy_ — _?!_ ” Alice practically squeaked, a look of horror and shock painted on her face, as she was already beginning to instinctively move her hands away.

              “No, _no—Don’t_!” He held fast to her wrists before her fingers could leave his frame’s scarred flesh for more than a second. Afraid of what may result in a half finished resurrection if she didn’t continue. “Let me just—I’m going to dilute the pain response so you may continue, okay?” He spoke in choked breaths, his focus forcibly split between Simaris, the ship, the relay, the girl in front of him, and the frame as he began searching through his connection to it. Trying to find just what needed to be switched ‘off’. “Lowering your energy input to slow the process may help as well.”

              “O-okay.” Alice gave a quick nod of her head before doing as instructed. Biting her bottom lip and furrowing her brow in concentration as she did so.

              The pain began to numb. Not disappearing entirely, but it became bearable at least. Which was better than nothing. And yet this...

              This…

              This made no sense.

              This made no sense _at all_.

              Why did—Why had just the mere bit of life being restored to the frame pull him back into it?

              It was almost as though the connection had never been severed at all!

              “IT SEEMS THE ISSUE THAT PRESENTED ITSELF IN ALL OUR TESTS STILL PERSISTS.” Simaris’ spoke up not long after the shock had passed with what seemed like a disappointed sigh. Yet...

              He didn't all seemed surprised by what had just happened. It seemed as though it had even been _anticipated_. And as much as Ordis would have _loved_ to call him out on whatever information he had neglected to share originally— _again —_ he was too busy trying to keep his head on his shoulders.

              _Literally_.

              “RATHER THAN THE LOOP BEING SEVERED ENTIRELY AS INTENDED, IT SEEMS THAT IT HAS ONLY ALTERED THE MANNER IN WHICH IT CONNECTS YOU TO THE FRAME. AS OPPOSED TO TETHERING ALMOST THE WHOLE OF YOUR CONSCIOUSNESS VIA YOUR SOMATICS TO IT ENTIRELY.”

              “So letting you _murder_ me didn’t even ‘cure’ me as you intended. Just reversed it?” Ordis surmised for himself as Alice’s hands moved away from his neck to the sides of his face. Allowing him to gingerly rub at the newly formed glowing scar that wrapped around his neck.

              “YOUR DEFINITION OF ‘MURDER’ MAY NEED SOME UPDATING, CEPHALON ORDIS.” Simaris commented with what Ordis could’ve sworn was a hint of sarcasm. “BUT YES. THAT IS WHAT'S TRANSPIRED, IF WE ARE TO CONTINUE STATING THE OBVIOUS.”

              “Oh _good_ ,” He replied with sarcasm of his own. “And here I was beginning to think the Transference energy had actually been disrupted.” Ordis then let out a tired sigh as he took Alice, who was still looking at him with deep concern and worry, into his arms. Giving her the consoling embrace he had wanted to give her from the start. Her head resting against his chest near the crook of his neck. “ _Fantastic_.”

              “I SUGGEST YOU RUN AN EXTENSIVE DEEP DIAGNOSTICS CHECK SINCE YOU HAVE REFUSED SUDA’S AND I’S ASSISTANCE IN EVALUATING YOUR CODE.” Simaris’ projection began pulling back towards the center of the room. His attention remaining ever trained on Ordis and the young Tenno. “WE WILL PRESENT ADDITIONAL POSSIBLE SOLUTIONS TO YOU ONCE YOU’VE COME BACK ONLINE.”

              “Simaris, you don’t—” Ordis started but cut himself off when Simaris’ avatar flickered off, signifying the other Cephalon’s main focus was held elsewhere rather than within the room.

              He hadn’t _actually_ left, that much Ordis knew for certain. Simaris, with his consciousness split between multiple relays across the system, was still and would always be ever present.  But it was pretty damn annoying for him to 'leave' when he was still speaking with him.

              “Never mind...” Bastard.

              Ordis let out a huff, allowing his hard light projection to flicker off as well while his back pressed further against the metal structure behind him. A hand that wasn’t his own reaching up to hold the back of his head as he rolled his neck with a slight hiss.

              “Does it still hurt?” Alice asked softly, her other hand brushing its fingers against the still burning scar that wrapped around his neck. A new addition to the many that still littered his frame that he’d chosen to keep. A collection that would most likely grow in time.

              “I would be lying if I said it didn’t.” Ordis admitted, grasping the small hand at his neck within his own. “But it’s mostly due to the restitching of the veins and nerves, nothing to do with anything you did personally, Ali. You couldn’t have known I would feel it. Otherwise, I’m sure you would have introduced an anesthetic into my systems as well.” He ruffled her hair with his other free hand, gently pushing her head back against his chest.

              “Simaris said you shouldn’t have if... _Killing_ you actually worked…” The girl let out a small “Mmm” as she made herself more comfortable in his lap. A sad frown still on her face.

              “You didn’t kill me.”

              “But you said—” Alice suddenly sat up, gapping at him in utter confusion.

              “Oh you and Lilith both know by now I just enjoy giving Simaris a hard time.” Ordis chuckled while cupping the girl’s face with his hands. His thumb gently brushing against the void markings that traced along her jaw while the other pushed aside the hair that had fallen in front of her eyes. His fingers pausing briefly over the scar that cut through her left brow and eye, the very reason she now wore 'vision correcting lenses' via a specialized somatic implant. “Had you actually killed me, I would not still be here. You killed my frame, but not _me,_ understand?” He gave his equivilent of a smile and let out a hum before continuing. "After all, wasn't it already proven how hard I am to kill? The only way you ever actually _will_ kill an old Cephalon like me is if you keep giving me all those damned panic attacks you and Lilith seem to like giving me."

              “... That's true...” The girl gave a bit of a pout, but also nodded in agreement as she went back to snuggling herself up against him. Off in the distance, her Banshee curled itself up into a similar position against the wall. “But… You are still stuck in the frame, aren’t you Ordy?”

              “Only part of me. Though it’s a bit more... Complicated than that.” Ordis explained. "I don’t mind it, to be quite honest, since I have come to accept this frame as though it is my true self. Just how I didn't mind the Transference loop in its original state at first... Until I realized just how much of a problem it caused in the effectiveness and efficency of my abilities.” He shifted slightly to make himself more comfortable, being careful to not accidently knock Alice off of him. "There are certainly worse things."

              “So... You don’t want Sim and Suda to fix you?”

              “Well…” Ordis thought about it for a moment. Though he found he really didn't need to dwell on the idea much at all in the end. “The issues I had with the previous rendition having been dealt with... I’m able to perform my original duties aboard the Orbiter. I can still take care of you and Lilith as I once could. I can access everything through the _Weave_ like I once could. All while still being able to walk around as you do with this body of mine.” He gently nuzzled the top of the girl’s head with his chin. Wondering as he did so just how closely Simaris was paying attention to what was going on despite having ‘gone’. "So, yes, I would be perfectly fine if they didn’t and I stayed as broken as I am now. I've been fine with that idea for awhile now.”

              “Really?” Alice asked, looking up at him to make sure he wasn’t lying. Knowing how he used to have a habit of doing so in the past.

              “Yes, really.” He assured. “After all, I’m certain you couldn't ever replace me, let alone would.” He joked, recalling how that had been a fear of his in the beginning when Alice, not truly awake, had finally returned to him in her Banshee on Earth just a little over a year ago. “You’re stuck with this broken old Cephalon for as long as he still functions. There's no getting rid of me otherwise.”

              “And you’re stuck with us!” Alice countered, wrapping her arms around him tightly while letting out a small giggle. “Did you tell Lily yet?”

              “I have.” Ordis nodded. “Though, she hasn’t really replied yet. She’s rather preoccupied with her mission and has gone so far as to lock me out of her frame’s communication connection.”

              “Is she okay?”

              “From what I can determine, she’s fine. Just tending to some business on Lua that she is rather focused on. What, I don’t know. But if she were in trouble though, I’m sure the Lotus would have contacted us.” Ordis let out small sigh as he shrugged his shoulders. Still worried but trying not to show it for Alice's sake as part of him continued to prob at the other girl's communications. “Now… Am I to assume the role of being your mattress again?”

              “Maybe…” Alice mumbled while averting her eyes. “Simaris said you should run diagnostics, meaning you'd be going to sleep again, so I thought I’d keep you company while you were.”

              “By sleeping on me?” Ordis quirked his head to the side. “Wouldn’t you rather sleep on the couch with Fluffles or the other furballs if you’re also tired? I’m certain that would be more comfortable.”

              “You’re more than comfy enough.” Alice only solidified her statement by cuddling up against him, causing Ordis to let out a rather audible laugh.

              “Okay, okay.” he lightly pat her head, submitting defeat. “But I swear I’m going to get a kink in my back from you two constantly doing this. As will you one of these days.”

              “S’fine.” Alice muttered, already seeming to have started drifting off. "Safe like this..."

              It didn’t take long until she did fall asleep. Ordis lightly stroking at her back as he set up the queue of all the different diagnostic tests he would be putting himself through.

              At the back of his mind, he could feel Suda probing at him for input through the Weave. Telling him that there were still things _they_ wanted him to confirm for them once he reawakened. Things that didn’t solely revolve around the Transference loop, but connected back to his state of being entirely, after upon being informed of his decision to remain how he was now.

              They weren’t through with him yet.

              And neither was a certain someone he saw out of the corner of his vision as he put himself under.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was drafted for awhile and I don't even know why it took forever.  
> Lack of motivation and life getting in the way I guess.  
> Depression's a bitch, I tell ya.  
> As is working retail and getting sick.  
> But hey! I updated.  
> And we're nearing the inevitable end...  
> Of this Arc.  
> Unless I decide to just not continue entirely.  
> But I think I'm gonna wait on more lore drops before I do.


End file.
